Career Day
by Sleather Chonkers
Summary: This was written for BFW's Mary Sue challenge , The Mcgraney's farm has been located next to Tara for centuarys , what happens when their youngest daughter sets forth a series of events which will put the fairy world in danger? Read and review !
1. The first fairy

Career day  
  
A/N This is in responce to BFW's challenge. It's also my first Artemis Fowl story , I've noticed that a lot of authors are so desperate to not write a Mary Sue they end up writing the anti Mary Sue.. A rather freakish social outcast. This is my attempt at writing about a semi normal girl. Her name is Amy , because lets face it the name Amy is a lot more common then the name Barbara. Also , for future referance this story is set roughly around the same time as the Arctic incident.  
  
"Its the end of the world as I know it! I knew I should have never gotten up so early!" a muffled young , female voice said from the recesses of a quilt cover. The quilt was faded , it had a picture of Miss piggy on it. They were so cute you could just about die.  
"Its hardly early Amy" A gruff male voice called from the door way and the covers were slowly lifted up.  
"It's four a.m. cool people would be going to bed around now" Amy stated to her father. Her father pointedly turned on the lights and yanked the covers off his daughters bed.  
"You may be a lot of things Amy McGraney but cool ain't one of them" he laughed and Amy pouted with embarrassment. Amy was thirteen , she had just hit puberty which meant lately she couldn't look at her parents with out wanting to stab them repetitively. Reluctantly Amy stepped off her bed her short mud brown hair sticking up at odd angles. Amy was desperately , passionately trying to be different from every one else in year eight . She soon discovered that in order to do this she needed two things , a large allowance and access to make up or any other beauty products. Amy's parents forbade her from wearing " coo" black eye liner and dark purple lipstick they also gave her only a measly five pound note a week allowance. There was also the fact that every one else in year eight was also trying to be an indivduel which meant as soon as Amy had saved up for anything remotely interesting the popular people had already been wearing it.. or well doing it for a week.  
Amy wondered to her mirror , it was a priceless antique which had been dug up next to the out house two years previously. Visitors were constantly praising it , Amy thought it was old and ugly. She stared at her reflection in the weak light , like most teenage girls Amy was addicted to the looking glass.  
"Not much to work with" she greeted her reflection. Amy's face was round , there was no other word for it.. round cheeks , a round nose and even round eyes. She also had a rather bad crop of acne on her cheek which no amount of scrubbing would get rid of. Her hair hung , in thick chunks just below her chin in a dull shade of mud brown. Amy had secret ambitions about dyeing it blood red , or at least a nicer more interesting shade. Her parents had forbade it , it came under the no make up rule.  
"Amy lass , your to be ready in five minutes!" her father called from the kitchen , a warning tone to his voice. Amy tore her gaze away from her reflection reluctantly and turned to her wardrobe.  
  
***  
  
"Your not wearing that are yah?" Farmer McGraney asked his daughter as she trudged into the kitchen. She glanced down at her favourite pair of jeans and her stylish yet affordable shirt.  
" Yes , I want to wear my new shirt!" Amy rebelled.  
"Not when your cleaning out the cow shed you aint" her father stated and Amy's mouth went wide with outrage.  
"Daddy! you cant expect me to do something that disgusting!" she moaned dramatically , her father ignored her and instead he bit into her dry toast.  
"Its bad enough that Caitlin Turner picks on me because I live on a stupid farm , now she's going to know I spent the whole day cleaning up cow shit!" Amy snapped grabbing the toast out ofd her fathers calloused fingers.  
"Aye! you know we don't approve of the s word!" her father scolded her and Amy sighed.  
"Sorry dad" she admitted reluctantly.  
"Now you get yourself changed girl , your brothers got a pair of overalls that would fit you nicely a bit loose around the ass but the cows wont care how you look" her father grinned sadistically . Amy merely stomped out of the room , as loudly and as dramatically as possible.  
  
Amy reasoned to herself that if she cleaned one square metre every ten minutes she would be done in little over an hour. This was not how Amy had planned her career day. Our heroine up until the night before had assumed she'd be hanging around the small gift shop her mother owned in town. It was a quaint sweet little store that sold fairy theme merchandise to gullible tourists. At the last minute , her mother had gotten a phone call from her Aunt Harriet , who had just broken her leg and needed some one to watch her three horrible children Leslie ,Leonard and Louise. Now , instead of absently talking to her mothers customers while fiddling with the merchandise Amy was stuck on her fathers horrid farm cleaning up cow mess. Sighing to herself she blew away a bothersome strand of hair and her eyes allowed them selves to trail through the barns doors and towards the hillock outside . The hillock was ominous , with a capital ...ooooo sound. Ever since Amy was a little girl , she distinctly remembered being told firmly by both her parents to never ever go near the hillock. Cows avoided it , birds flew around it even ants refused to cross it. Other then that , it was a perfectly normal hillock dotted with wild Heather and clover in the strategic places.  
  
Amy stopped day dreaming and jumped , causing the rake she was holding to spill onto the floor. Some one , was skulking around the edges of the hillock , it was still rather dark and for a moment Amy thought she had imagined it. No , there it was again the same figure moving around the hillock. Amy tucked her brown hair behind one ear nervously wondering if she should go call her father. The person was small , no more then a child really. The person was also dressed in the apparel of what appeared to be a space man. Amy sighed with relief and gave a small smirk , it was obviously just a small child playing space invaders or something equally daft. A child should be rather easy to deal with Amy thought with satisfaction picking the rake up. Slowly , breaking all of her parents rules.. she marched towards the hillock.  
  
The moonlight sky was beginning to tinge with the gray onset of morning , thick wet grass stuck to Amy's boots and she blinked her eyes with exhaustion.  
"Hey you!" Amy yelled hugging her brothers big woolen jumper around her chubby frame. The child paused , and then Amy distinctively heard the word.  
"D' arvit" Amy shook her head , kids were so stupid constantly making up ridicules words.  
"Look kid , I hate to tell you but the hillock on our farm in strictly out of bounds.. go play your daft game some where else!" Amy growled menacingly gripping tightly onto her rake. The kid continued to speak in plain gibberish , it gave Amy a headache. Then suddenly , the kids gibberish melted into vaguely recognisable English.  
"We thought you McGraney's knew better then to come near Tara" the child said in a husky , female voice . Amy blinked with surprise and began to back away slowly.  
"Are you all right kid? do you want me to phone your mum or dad?" she asked slowly.  
"I'm fine , and I'm not a kid" the child said , and then it reached upwards and yanked its helmet off. A female face emerged , the sort of face that Amy secretly wished she had. Very pretty , with high sharp cheek bones large hazel eyes and short auburn hair .Secretly Amy thought she looked like the dreaded Caitlin Turner , she hated the odd child instantly. Suddenly , something else grabbed Amy's attention.  
"Your ears..." Amy began turning very pale.  
"Good observation" Captain Short stated tired with mud men in general.  
" Your a.." Amy gasped.  
"A fairy" Holly short finished smartly and her eyes met Amy's.   
"Now little mud girl... forget" she droned performing the mesmer on poor little Amy. Amy blinked once a dazed expression on her face.  
" Sleep" The mesmer continued and before Amy could protest her eyes involuntarily shut and she slumped onto the hillock unconscious.  
  
"Amy you lazy little bit!" her father stated grabbing his snoozing daughter by the shoulders. Amy yawned and slowly opened her eyes.  
"I must have closed my eyes" Amy admitted staring up at her father rather dazed.  
"For more then three hours , Amy its seven a.m. ! " her father cried and Amy blinked with confusion.  
"I've been asleep for more then three hours?" Amy cried and her father shook his head with annoyance .  
"I knew I couldn't have trusted you with the cow shed , look where I find yer.. on this blasted hillock" her father growled and Amy glanced around her feeling rather frightened. She was on the hillock , well the edge of the hillock actually. Bee's buzzed , the sun shone and lots of little flowers were using pollen to make even more little flowers.  
"Daddy I swear I wasn't here , I was in the cow shed!" Amy protested . She knew the punishment for stepping on the hillock , it did not involve ice-cream and television. John McGraney stared at his youngest daughter momentarily , she was pale and shivering which caused her crop of acne to feature even more prominently. Her eyes also looked odd , her iris , was ever so slightly jagged.  
  
"You better go inside luv , drink something with chocolate in it and watch television" her father said soothingly suddenly changing his tone.  
"But what about my career day project?" Amy protested weakly however she was secretly glad that she had gotten out of it.  
" Blow it off ,. I'll right you a note" her father said waving a hand . Amy wiped the dead Heather and dirt off her brothers overalls and glanced back at the hillock uneasily. Something was scratching the back of her mind , wanting her to pay attention.. she had forgotten something important.  
" Maybe I walked out of the barn in my sleep" Amy asked her father and his haggard face glowered.  
'' Lets hope it was only that" he muttered darkly leading her towards the main house.   
  
The hillock appeared to be empty once again , but who knew what existed beyond the surface. 


	2. Curiosity killed the cat

Author Notes:  
I've tried to remain as true to the books as possible. The conversation between Amy and Seamus is highly plausible. Rich and prominet citizens are frequently mentioned in news papers and Artemis Fowl senior's supposed death was probably publicised along with the rumors involving the Russian mafia. Despite the fact that Amy lives near tara , and has seen a fairy she will not turn into a super crime obsessed Mary Sue who can speak gnomish better then Artemis and has psychic powers. I've always thought it would be interesting to see how an ordinary boring person would react to Tara and the LEP.  
I would like to thank my first and only reviewer Eleida! you rock ! and I hope my spelling has improved in this chapter. I swear Spell checkers make more mistakes then they correct.  
  
  
Officially Career day ended at three p.m. Amy was secretly thankful , her father had kept her locked up in her room all morning and she was anxious to escape. What she really wanted to do was go to the shopping center . Mainly because her friend Seamus's father owned the computer store and allowed them to play video games in the back room. Amy wasn't particularly good at playing computer games , in fact she was hopeless. She played them any way because Seamus took them very seriously and would get extremely annoyed with her when ever she made a mistake accidentally on purpose. Annoying Seamus , in Amy's opinion was a leisure activity that rivaled a trip to the cinema.  
  
Anxiously Amy peered around her doorway her eyes crinkling with concentration. Her father was still on the phone talking to Granny , he had been on the phone for the past two hours. He seemed to be very concerned about Amy's sudden bought of sleep walking. Amy wasn't sure why he was talking to Granny about it . Granny, in Amy's opinion was daft and insane. She kept out saucers of milk for the fairies and talked to her cats as if they were really alive.  
"Where are you going lass?" Her father suddenly asked his back stiffening , Amy bit her lip thoughtfully.  
"We need more bread" Amy lied quickly , her family always needed more bread.  
"You sure your up to it?" He asked with concern and Amy gave him a funny look.  
"Of course I'm up for it , its just riding my bike" she pointed out and her father bit his lip a habit similar to her own.  
" Here take this with you" he suddenly said reaching into the kitchen draw his ear still pressed against the phone. He placed an old iron nail into her hand.  
"Why would I need this?" Amy asked with confusion.  
" In case you need to hammer something , I don't know" her father said distracted gesturing for her to leave the kitchen. Amy merely shrugged her shoulders and put on her favorite denim jacket.  
  
Bike riding , in Amy's opinion was as close to flying as humanly possible. For as far back as she could remember , she had always had vague dreams involving flying. Not the sort of flying involving hang gliders or planes , flying where you could just step into the sky and swim through it.   
Amy's bike was old and clunky , it once belonged to her older brother and before that her father. She wanted a new one , but her parents refused to spoil her despite the fact they earned a comfortable amount of money.   
  
It took twenty minutes to reach the main town , and another ten to get to the small shopping center. Amy enjoyed the bike ride , it gave her time to look around and not think.. She wasn't a big fan of thinking. Eventually she reached the shopping strip and she stopped next to an old panel van.  
The first thing she saw was Caitlin Turner , leaning against a fashion boutiques window. Caitlin was a big fan of leaning against buildings in sensual ways.  
" Oh god its you , heard you spent all day cleaning up cow shit" Caitlin smirked puffing on the dog end of a cigarette. Caitlin was thirteen however she appeared to be much older. Their was a pretty face hidden under all her make up and eye liner. Some how , it seemed very familiar.  
"I heard you spent all day robbing a morgue" Amy thought , but did'nt say. Instead she ignored the girl and proceeded to lock up her bike.  
"Don't ignore me McGraney! " Caitlin ordered and Amy's knuckles grew white.  
"I have to .. I have to go" Amy muttered barely looking at her. Before Caitlin could speak again Amy had disappeared.   
  
Amy breathed a sigh of relief , she was safely inside the computer store.  
The store was bright and modern , with air conditioning and clean white shelves. School had only just come out , so there were not to many children playing on the sample computer games. Tucking her hair behind one ear Amy walked into the back store room. Surprisingly Seamus was not playing one of the games , he was actually working using a sticker gun to label merchandise. Before Amy could protest he stuck a sticker onto her jacket.  
" Now every one will know your damaged stock!" He laughed.  
"You've been waiting for me to come in all day just so you could do that" Amy pointed out and Seamus's grin disappeared.  
" Have not" he protested weekly , Amy just scowled at him and ripped the sticker up before tossing it onto the floor.  
"How was career day?" Amy asked changing the subject.  
" Boring as hell , dad made me spend all day sticking price tags on a new shipment we got in this morning.Its some new form of computer hardware made by Fowl industries" Seamus droned rolling his pale blue eyes. Seamus and Amy had become friends by default when they were in kindergarten. When all the other children had paired off into groups they were the last two left standing by the alphabet poster.  
"Fowl industries? That's a weird name" Amy remarked.  
"It's fowl as in the bird , not the adjective" Seamus pointed out and Amy pretended she understood.  
"So what do they do?" She asked sitting on one of the unpacked boxes.  
"How am I supposed to know? Computer stuff probably. Dad said the guy who used to own the company drowned" Seamus said moving the conversation to a far more interesting point.  
"Drowned! That's horrible!" Amy squealed her eyes opening wide with shock.  
"Uh huh.. It happened in Russia! The Mafia sunk his boat , it was in all the papers" Seamus began his eyes lighting up with the zeal of an interesting story.  
" How come I never read about it?" Amy asked defensively.  
" You never read the paper" Seamus pointed out.  
"True" Amy admitted.  
"Any way , to make the story even more interesting.. turns out the guy had a son , a son with a really weird name or .. You know what ever. The son was weird to , really smart or something" Seamus said vaguely.  
"Wait a second.. How do you know all this?" Amy asked raising an eyebrow.  
" I hear lots of rumors in certain Internet chat rooms , a year ago some one claiming to be the kid sent out an Internet flag offering cash for any one who knew any information about fairies" Seamus said rolling his eyes . Amy's breath caught in her throat momentarily. For some reason she couldn't fathom, the word fairy had caused her heart to beat incredibly fast.  
"Sound pretty stupid to me" Amy managed to say rolling her eyes theatrically.  
"Rich people are stupid , do you want to help me finish with these stickers?" He asked.  
"No" Amy stated.  
"Fine then go" Seamus replied.  
" I will then!" Amy snarled hopping off the box of computer hardware.  
"Your not staying for dinner then?" Seamus yelled with disappointment , but it was to late Amy had left the shop.  
  
****  
  
Dinner , was incredibly awkward and wrong with out the presence of Amy's mum. For one thing they were eating Pizza strait out of the box. Amy's older brother James had picked some up in town on his way home from work.  
"I hate supreme pizza" Amy reminded him as she picked an olive off the pizza.  
"I know , that's why I bought it" James laughed. In Amy's opinion , James was ugly and stupid he also had ginger hair.  
"You two.." Their father warned , and silently the two siblings returned to their pizza.  
Tick , tick , tick , went the kitchen clock. Farmer McGraney cleared his throat , James coughed momentarily Amy merely stared at them both with silent contempt.  
"I dug up another priceless piece of art work dad" said James after a moments silence.  
"That's nice" their father managed to say .The McGraney's dug up valuable treasures around once a month. It really was quite bizzare . Archaelogists who had visited the farm could not explain why the earth would be filled with dirt and bones one day , then the next it would contain a priceless viking treasure chest or an origenal Piccasso framed sketch.  
"It was one of those statue things" James continued.  
"A bust" Amy interjected tiredly.  
" Dad , Amy's being perverted" James whined.  
"I was not , that's what those things are called.. Busts.. We learnt all about them in ancient history " Amy snarled .  
"It was near the privy" James continued and Amy blushed bright red , only her family would still have an outdoor privy which was nothing more then a glorified hole in the ground.  
"Ewww James , it wasn't dirty was it?" Amy asked turning green.  
"A bit" James admitted proudly.  
" You did'nt touch it son?" Their father asked.  
" No I aint daft , I put mums washing gloves on first then I washed it in the bath" James grinned , Farmer McGraney turned very pale.. He was planning on having a bath after dinner.  
" I suppose I'll have to have a shower" he muttered before taking another bite of pizza. The room was silent once again , Amy pulled a piece of pepperoni off her pizza and chewed on it absently.  
"Dad?" Amy asked after swallowing , her dad looked up absently.  
" Yes?" He asked.  
"Have you ever heard of fowl industries , the bird not the adjective?" She asked curiously and her fathers eye brows shot up with surprise.  
" Quite a few people have heard of them luv , their not the sort of people we talk about over dinner though" her father said darkly .  
"Why?" Amy persisted.  
" Because.. Well the fowls aren't all together honest people are they?" Her father stated and James bit into his pizza.  
" Of course their not , their birds aren't they?" He asked. Amy , and her father stared at James momentarily pondering how some one so stupid managed to graduate from high school.  
" Are the Fowls in the Irish Mafia dad?" Amy asked excited referring to the infamous underground crime circuit that spread all the way to Chicago. Amy half expected her father to tell her to stop talking nonsense. Instead he shook his head sheepishly.  
"Perhaps , they are after all a pretty dodgey lot" he admitted and Amy realized her father was not going to say any more. The three lapsed into silence once again , after a few minutes they were distracted by the sound of some thing scratching at the kitchen window.  
" It's Mrs. Mendelburg" James said tiredly.  
" The cats name is Daisy not Mrs. what ever the hell you just said" Amy grumbled.  
"Daisy's a stupid pooferina name" James muttered darkly.  
"She's a girl ! She's allowed to have a girlie name" Amy pointed out.  
"It's still a stupid name" James roared.  
" She's my cat and I can name her what ever I want!" Amy snarled.  
"Lass , ignore your brother and go let the damned feline in" her father ordered her Amy glared at them both scathingly . She marched towards the back door and pointedly slammed it behind her.  
  
A blue ink night greeted Amy as the door shut behind her. The air was slightly chilly , and she breathed in deeply thankful that it was almost summer. Dreamily Amy allowed herself to stare up at the night sky momentarily. The Sky was purple gray with rain clouds , she could see the occasional patch of stars. It was one of the only good points about living on a boring farm.. The stars were always so bright and clear. Before Granny had gone barmy she had attempted to teach Amy a thing or to about Astrology. Amy thought the whole practice was daft , but she did it any way because it was nice spending hours staring at the pretty points of light.   
  
Reluctantly Amy tore her eyes away and began to search the vegetable patch for Daisy , it wasn't as hard as she origenally thought. Daisy was a house cat and only went outside in order to go to the bathroom . The fat tortoise shell cat immediately began bumping her head against Amy's legs and the young girl was forced to pick her up. Suddenly , a sound caught Amy's attention. It was a car , purring down the dirt road leading into the farm.  
"Mum!" Amy cried with relief assuming that her mother had arrived home early. Still clutching onto a meowing Daisy she ran towards the road.  
  
It was not Mrs. McGraney , Amy soon realized. Her mother drove a beaten up white ford with a bumper sticker on it from the fairy store. This car was as black as tar , and as long as a bus. It's windows were thick and smokey , putting a fairy bumper sticker on it would insult it. Amy gasped causing Daisy to tumble from her arms. Daisy looked at her vaguely insulted before dashing inside.   
  
Amy ignored the cat and slowly concealed her self in the shadows watching the car. It continued to drive until it reached the familiar hillock. Amy bit her lip terrified not quite sure what to do , should she call her father? Or wait until they went away ?  
The car slowly pulled to a stop. It was momentarily quite. Then , one of the doors slowly opened but nothing came out. If Amy concentrated she could almost see a heat shimmer in the air. The second car door opened. A man stepped out , impossibly huge dressed immaculately in a black suite. The moonlight passed over his face briefly and he appeared to be Euro Asian. The man reached into the back seat of the car and practically dragged out the final figure.  
  
It was a boy ! no older then Amy , he was also small and delicate. Amy gasped again and bit onto her knuckles in order to prevent herself from crying out. He appeared to be unconscious , the man carefully cradled him in his arms. The boys head lolled backwards like a drunken dolls , the moonlight lit his features and Amy's eyes opened wide with horror. The boys face was so innocent , so pale ... he was also rather good looking in a vampire sort of way. If Amy had been shocked , she was about to be astonished. For while she was gazing dreamily at the boys young face something rather strange was happening to the hillock.  
  
The top part of it had snapped off like the lid of a canister. Amy looked up with shock , she did'nt know anything about geography but she was pretty sure that hills were not hollow like an Easter egg. Then with a very impressive "pop" a sleek cubicle emerged from the hillock and opened its doors. It looked like an elevator shaft , or possibly an egg. It was made out of the sort of futuristic materials one would only see on Star Trek. The metal egg opened , and the heat shimmer disappeared inside , it ( what ever it was) was soon followed by the Eurasian clutching onto the teenage boy. Part of Amy , the more practical part said she should forget about it and go inside and finish her pizza before James did. Another part , a smaller more rebellious part screamed at her to stay and pay attention.   
  
The egg closed , and it then elegantly descended into the hillock. The hillocks top then flipped back on . Amy dashed towards the hillock as quickly as possible. She studied the earth searching for a gap , but there was none. She then proceeded to dig at a bare spot hoping to reveal the hollow chamber , still nothing!   
Sighing with frustration Amy sat down crossing her feet . She wasn't quite sure what the hell she had seen , was it a foiled kidnapping? A government conspiracy? And why was there a silver egg thing in the hillock on HER farm?  
Something caught Amy's attention , a small scrap of paper fluttering on the grass , caught up between a piece of wild heather. Amy slowly picked it up , it had a single word printed on it along with what appeared to be a partial school crest.  
"Artemis" Amy breathed her brow furrowing up with confusion.  
" What a weird word" she finished scrunching up the piece of paper in her hand. As she walked down the hillock her eyes fell firmly on the sleek black limousine , it was still there.  
  
  
That night Amy had trouble sleeping , her room was far to hot and muggy the sound of the kitchen clock was ticking far to loud and her mind was filled with to many worries. The word Artemis kept swirling around in her mind. Was Artemis a name for something? No that seemed ridicules.. No one in their right mind would name their child Artemis. Unless of course it was a nick name , for an incredibly cool girl who wore black lip stick and listened to system of the down. The sort of girl Amy secretly wanted to be just like. Amy refused to even contemplate that Artemis may possibly be male , as her brother put it Artemis was a " pooferina" name.   
  
"Maybe I just dreamed it" Amy said hopefully to her Seth Green Poster. Amy was forever day dreaming and it often got her into trouble. She wondered if she was going as mad as Granny , after all she could normally tell the difference between her day dreams and reality. Frustrated she kicked her covers off and sat up breathing heavily. She slowly stood up clutching the old t shirt she wore as a night gown around her frame. Her eyes fell on her alarm clock , it was still rather early only 11: Am. she could hear her brothers television blaring softly in the back round. Carefully she crept out of her bedroom and into the living room towards the phone. Her brother snoozed noisily a left over slice of pizza balancing on his stomach. She reached over him and grabbed the telephone. Then , silently she carried the phone to the hall closet and locked herself inside. Her hands hovered over the key pad and she pressed the button labeled " Granny" and pressed it against her ear.  
"Hello?" A piping elderly voice inquired.  
"Granny , its me Amy" Amy said and she couldn't believe what she was doing.  
"Oh you poor wee little bonnie lass ! Your papa told me what happened to you" Granny shrilled.  
"You mean the sleep walking?" Amy asked carefully and there was a faint gasp.  
"Is that what he told you?" He grandmother asked.  
"Yes"  
"Well its a lie , you did'nt sleep walk ! The little buggers stole part of your memory" her grandmother stated gravely.  
"What little buggers , granny have you been forgetting to take your pills again?" Amy asked kindly.  
"Don't patronize me you silly gel , their all as real as you or me" Granny scolded her and Amy bit her lip.  
"Who are you talking about?" Amy asked frustrated.  
"The fairies of course!" He grandmother cried triumphantly and Amy gasped .The word fairy echoed in her mind , and caused her heart to start beating a firm tattoo.  
"See lass , your mind doesn't remember but your heart does.. Your body cant forget" her grandmother whispered down the phone.  
" I refuse to believe this , fairies don't exist" Amy stated firmly but her voice was trembling.  
" Is there anything else you want to tell Granny?" Her grandmother probed .  
"I saw a car a few hours ago , and the hillock opened up" Amy stated her voice trembling.  
"You saw Tara" he grandmother insisted gently.  
"Tar.. What?" Amy asked.  
" You saw the entrance into their world gel , now listen to me luv they'll try to make you forget but you mustn't ! if you forget to many times you'll go as blind as your granddad" Granny said firmly and Amy hesitantly nodded remembering she was on the phone. Her Grandfather had been dafter then Granny , he was also completely blind by his early fifties.  
"There's one thing from mythology that can protect you luv , cold iron" he grandmother said firmly and Amy briefly remembered the nail her father had given her that afternoon.  
"I understand Granny" Amy said , although she wasn't sure if she did.  
"Now you tell your papa I'll be visiting tomorrow afternoon to investigate that car you saw" her Granny ordered her.  
" What if its gone?" Amy asked hesitantly.  
"Trust me lass , it wont be" Granny muttered darkly then there was nothing but the dial tone , her grandmother had hung up. Amy remained in the broom closet leaning against a moth eaten coat , the phone still in her lap. She had to admit , something rather odd was going on . But fairies ? Elves? It all sounded a little bit to much like lord of the rings for her liking. Sleepily Amy closed her eyes her acne scarred cheek brushing against her fathers coat. Obviously her Granny was as Barmy as ever , but she was right about something. Amy knew she had forgotten something important however as soon as she thought about it her mind would latch onto something else. Soon her thoughts had returned to there usual jumbly state and with out even realizing it Amy had fallen into a shallow sleep still clutching onto the telephone , the dial tone ringing in her ear. 


	3. The Bentley

A/N Thank you Alexis and Anime Fanatic for your reviews , dont worry Anime Fanatic Artemis will be appearing more and more frequently as the story progresses.  
The information involving the tarot cards in this chapter comes from www.facade.com. I forgot to mention earlier , the saucer of milk being pured out , and the iron nail are parts of the standerd Fae mythologey. I have no idea if they apply to the LEP but an Irish family such as the Mc Graneys are bound to use them.  
Disclaimer : I do not own Artemis Fowl , which is mundo obvious.  
  
Chapter three  
  
Once , when Amy's father John McGraney had been much younger his father sat him down and explained the way of the world. John McGraney knew he was going to be running the farm as soon as his father would retire. By the age of fourteen he already knew how to use a tractor , take care of the animal husbandry and he'd assisted his father at the city markets. Now it was time for him to learn the truth about McGraney farm. There will be times , his father explained when the night will seem like a wild thing. The moon will be far to loud , the feeling of the air far to thick ( he meant atmosphere and would have said it if he knew what it mean). It will be the sort of night where all you'll want to do is hide under the covers and fall asleep. On this night , you may hear things on the hillock or well imagine you do. What ever you do.. Do not approach the hillock. If you happen to be walking past it at the time do not dare to sneak a look at it. They'll never make a sound , but you'll feel something there. We leave them alone , and they leave us alone. Its part of an ancient bargain which allows our farm to escape dreaded illnesses or dig up priceless artifacts. What ever you do , never ever sell that hillock no matter how bad things get.  
  
John McGraney thought uneasily about it as he opened the broom closet. It was around four in the morning , which meant it was time to milk the cows. Much to his surprise his daughter , still asleep tumbled out of the closet clutching their phone to her chest. She stirred slightly then opened her eyes.  
"Your probably wondering why I was sleeping in the closet" Amy said to her father yawning.  
"Actually I was wondering why you were hugging the phone lass" her father replied and Amy glanced down at the phone sheepishly.  
"Well I'm not telling" she snarled pressing the phone into her father's arms. Still yawning she stood up her legs shaking like a new born calf. Trembling she criss crossed her way to her bed room door , and went inside firmly slamming the door behind her. John McGraney shook his head and reminded himself his temperamental daughter was bound to leave puberty sooner or later.  
***  
  
"You look like you've slept in a closet" Seamus said to Amy after school and she yawned noisily.  
"That's because I did , well for only three hours" Amy replied tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.  
"Why would you do that?" He asked.  
"I did'nt mean to , I was ringing my grandmother and I wanted some privacy.. Next thing I know! Boom! Sleepy town" Amy replied and Seamus nodded.  
"It's probably not very good for your back you know" he said pointing out the obvious.  
" Its not very good period , look at me I'm so ugly!" Amy whined.  
" Sleeping in a closet doesn't change your psychical appearance that much" Seamus said gravely.  
"I know , but I'm still ugly" Amy replied her face appearing very sad and noble. By now , their bikes had almost reached the farm. Seamus said he wanted to go to Amy's house to see Amy's grandmother. Seamus liked her , she always gave him presents despite the fact he wasn't her real grandson.  
In the distance , they could see a several cars , one of them belonged to the police.  
" Hey its Sergeant Finnigan!" Amy said with confusion skidding her bike to a halt. Seamus , not quite sure how to follow attempted to slow his bike down as well. This lead to it very nearly crashing into a black berry bush.  
"Sergeant who?" Seamus asked attempting to keep his balance.  
"You know , the fat police officer who lectures our school about graffiti on the buses" Amy replied slightly annoyed with her friend.  
"Oh him , I thought he was an actor" Seamus replied. Amy blinked , not quite sure how he had come to that conclusion.  
  
"Dad! What's going on?" Amy called to her father , he looked up and jogged casually towards his daughter.  
"Appears some one dumped a stolen car next to the hillock love" He said uneasily scratching his gray blonde hair.  
" I don't think it was dumped dad , I saw two guys get out of it last night" Amy replied. John McGraney growled with frustration and shook his daughter by the shoulders.  
"Why did'nt you say anything sooner?" He asked and Amy rolled her eyes.  
" How was I supposed to know the car had been stolen?" She pointed out.  
"She's right Mr. McGraney " Seamus replied loyally.  
"You stay out of this Seamus" her father said tiredly turning away from the two teenagers.  
"Amy go inside and do your home work , I'm far to busy dealing with these bloody stupid police officers" Farmer McGraney said over his shoulder as he bounded back down towards the hillock.  
  
Sergeant Finnigan and his partner Sergeant Ivory were perplexed to say the very least.  
"You see Sarge , the ting is when you really get down to it.. Cars that have been stolen are usually on fire" said Sergeant Ivory smoking from the dog end if his cigarette.  
" Your thinking of joy rides Ivory" Sergeant Finnigan said kindly folding his chubby arms.  
"Don't see anything to joyful about it Sarge , especially if your on fire" Ivory replied smartly smacking his thin lips together .Sergeant Ivory's main reason for joining the police force , was he found murder stories really funny.  
" Officers" Farmer McGraney said tiredly giving the two men a small respectable glance.  
"Ah its young McGraney , your the one who called as aint you?" Finnigan asked.  
  
  
  
"Actually it was my son James , but that's not the point.. We were wondering if you could call a tow truck and get rid of this thing" Farmer McGraney asked a pleading note to his voice.  
"Don't know if we can do that McGraney , you see this cars the latest model of a Bentley . Fancy pants sports vehicle" said Ivory.  
" Huh?" McGraney asked a perplexed expression on his face.  
"What my partner means to say is that this car belongs to some one rich , and we the local law enforcement community tend to shy away from the rich" Finnigan said uneasily.  
"Look , this farm isn't a glorified parking lot! I need that car out of the way so I can get the tractor out of the barn!" Farmer McGraney stated two red splotches appearing on his haggard face.  
  
Amy and Seamus observed the scene vaguely amused clutching onto their copies fog king Lear.  
" I never got Shakespeare , I mean look at this line.. We who have lived so much shall never live so long" Amy whined glaring at the page.  
"It's supposed to be a metaphor , or something like that" Seamus replied. Seamus was good at English while Amy was better at science the two friends cheated off each other constantly.  
"A meta what?" Amy asked.  
" You know , something that symbolizes something else.. Like when you say your brothers a stupid dog" Seamus explained carefully.  
"Oh I understand" Amy said , although she still found the text very confusing. She wasn't completely sure why her year was doing something as difficult as King Lear. Secretly she suspected that her English teacher Mr. Wilson was trying to prove something to the other teachers.  
"Oh by my father reference be hanged!" Seamus cried dramatically in a high pitched falsetto. He was interrupted when there was the sound of a car door being opened by a crow bar.  
"Stand back ! you are to close to the vehicle!" A electronic voice cried. Every one , including the two police officers ignored the alarm. Sergeant Ivory , who was the far thinner one of the two crawled into the Bentley.  
"Nothing in here Sarge , except for an old issue of PC magazine.. Oh I haven't got this one yet!" He cried with excitement pulling the magazine out of the car. Sergeant Finnigan turned on a small flash light and peered into the gloom.  
"Will you look at this? It has a mini bar and every thing.. Including some of that fancy clear mineral water that tastes like pineapples" he grinned reached towards a bottle in the mini bar. He ripped the cork out of a bottle of distilled water using his teeth then took a big gulp.  
" Don't you think the owners of the car will object to what your doing?" Seamus pointed out and Sergeant Ivory looked up from his magazine.  
"The cars already been dumped" he pointed out.  
" In fact , maybe we should take the car in , you know for testing" Sergeant Finnigan said gazing at the steering wheel hungrily. Sergeant Ivory's thoughts turned towards the gleaming town car and the mental image of riding it through the country side with a glamorous super model.  
"Yeah I agree Sarge , we need to get DNA samples" he said eyeing the frosty tinted wind shield glass. Amy looked up from her copy of king Lear fearfully , she remembered what she had seen the previous night. The car pulling to a stop , the silvery egg in the hillock. Secretly she knew the car hadn't been dumped but she wasn't quite sure how to break the news to the officers.  
"I think some one just parked it hear" she said uneasily , and the two police officers glanced at her disappointed.  
"Well if that's all it was.." Began sergeant Finnigan.  
"We best be off then" Sergeant Ivory finished closing the magazine , he then folding it up and attempted to hide it in his shirt.  
" Put the magazine back" Farmer McGraney stated and reluctantly he placed it back into the car. A few moments later the two officers had left the farm sheepishly , dragging their sirens behind them.  
  
Amy and Seamus inspected the car for nearly ten minutes.  
' You know , if I was this rich , I would'nt get a car as boring as this one" Amy said as they sat inside the car siren still blaring around them.  
" Its supposed to be dignified" Seamus pointed out.  
" It looks like a hearse , if it was me I would get a bright purple cadillac.. You know the ones with no roof?" Amy sighed dreamily leaning against the leather interior.  
"We really shouldn't be in here Amy" Seamus pointed out.  
"Why?" Amy persisted her eyes closed.  
"Because the car doesn't belong to us" Seamus pointed out.  
" Oh let me enjoy this opportunity just once , imagine the look on Caitlin's face when she finds out we were in a Bentley !" Amy cackled mirthlessly.  
":She'd probably prefer it if we were in a hearse" Seamus replied.  
"True" Amy commented biting her lip.  
" You two will be in a hearse unless you get out of that car now" an elderly piping voice called from the open door.  
" Granny! You scared the shit out of me!" Amy cried clutching onto her school shirt.  
" You know we don't say the s word lass!" Her grandmother scolded her and Amy sighed. She crawled over Seamus's lap much to his embarrassment. A few moments later she was standing amongst the heather and grass. Seamus followed her wondering if Amy had gotten them into trouble.. Again.  
"Well if it aint my favorite Irishman , still as fair as ever!" Granny smiled ruffling Seamus's thick light blonde hair.  
"Why don't you ever compliment me like that?" Amy asked.  
" I will once you grow into something worth praise" her grandmother laughed and Amy opened her mouth with outrage.  
"Now you two get inside , I got gifts for yer that I picked up on me travels" Amy's Grandmother laughed tottering towards the farm house.  
  
Inside , James was sitting at the kitchen table his shirt sleeves rolled up concentrating furiously on the evening paper.  
" Granny , what's a three letter word for something that's not good?" He asked staring at the children's cross word puzzle.  
" Bad" his grandmother answered. James's brow wrinkled with concentration and he turned back to the puzzle.  
"Amy did'nt explain why you were visiting , I mean not that its a bad thing.. I was just you know curious" Seamus said nervously sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
  
"I'm going to be taking care of things until Amy's mother gets back" Granny said briskly pouring out a saucer of milk.  
"Granny , Daisy doesn't drink milk" Amy pointed out.  
"The Milks not for Daisy , its for any of those buggers who happen to be listening in.. They've a weakness for milk yer see not much of it under ground" her grandmother replied and Seamus gave Amy a quizzical look.  
"She's crazy" Amy whispered rolling her eyes . Of course Granny heard that , but she ignored it.  
"Now lets see , I do believe I have some gifts for my favorite grandchildren" she grinned reaching into the knitted shoulder bag that was sitting on the kitchen table. She pulled out a thick bar of chocolate and tossed it to James , who merely grunted before ripping the rapper off.  
"Nice to see you appreciate it boy" she sighed and she pulled out another chocolate bar handing it to Seamus.  
"Thank you" Seamus said politely placing the chocolate on his lap.  
" Now for you Amy , I got something rather special I picked up a few years back in Italy" her grandmother smiled and she placed a square box onto the table in front of her grand daughter.  
"Playing cards?" Amy asked scandalized.  
"No , tarot cards" her grandmother replied.  
"That's even worse! You know I refuse to believe in that junk" Amy said hotly pushing the cards away from her.  
"You should at least give them a chance" her grandmother pointed out and Amy rolled her eyes theatrically.  
"Fine" She stated and she opened the box pulling the thick cards out. She handed the cards to Seamus wordlessly.  
"I'll pick a card at random and see what it says" Amy stated .  
"Are you sure about this Amy?" Seamus asked. As if answering Amy reached towards the pack and snatched a card out at random placing it in front of her grandmother.  
"The magician" her grandmother breathed , Amy reached towards the pack and selected another card , and then another until three cards lay on the kitchen table. James looked up from his chocolate bar suddenly interested.  
"These cards have fallen into the position of the three fates" her grandmother said glancing at her granddaughter hesitantly.  
"The past , the present and your future" she continued. Amy raised an eye brow.  
"Go on" she urged her grandmother.  
  
"This card , represents some one from your past , the king of swords" she said gesturing to a faded card , with a man sitting on a throne.  
"This person has a violent temperament , and prefers to act on impulse with quick dramatic action rather then seeing the consequences of their actions. This person is a born fighter and commander a possible ally and a dangerous enemy" her grandmother stated. Amy immediately thought of Caitlin , however her thoughts were soon replaced with some one else. Some one who looked liked Caitlin , but also looked different. Amy shook her head when she realized she was trying to remember something she had forgotten again.  
"This is the page of cups , a person who is linked to your present . Loyal , intelligent and affectionate a true friend.. Sounds a lot like you lad" her grandmother laughed giving Seamus a quick wink. Seamus immediately coughed loudly a small smile on his face , his skin blushing ever so slightly. Amy rolled her eyes , as far as she was concerned her grandmother was making it up.  
"Finally , the last person is the magician" her grandmother breathed.  
" A person , who holds the key to your future. The magician is a master of the material world , and a fantastic manipulator. The magician is filled with the wisdom of Hermes and uses his intelligence in order to perform miracles using illusion and trickery. The magician is the god of thieves , trickery and deception." her grandmother finished and Amy frowned.  
"Whose Hermes?" She asked and Seamus cleared his throat.  
" His a greek god , you know like Zeus or Artemis" he began and Amy's heart skipped a beat.  
"Artemis ?" Amy asked her eyes falling onto the magician card. The magician grinned back at her and Amy hurriedly pushed the card away.  
" Yes Artemis , well technically Artemis was a goddess not a god" Seamus replied and Amy tucked her hair behind her ears.  
' I don't want to know about the future any more" she said hurriedly scooping the cards back up. Quickly she shoved them back into there box and handed the box to her grandmother.  
'It was just starting to get good!" Seamus protested.  
  
******  
Seamus complained about the situation loudly over the next few days , Amy ignored him. She wasn't sure why Seamus was taking such an interest in the tarot cards.. they were silly and boring. Amy detested all forms of divination , she considered it to be batty . It was almost as bad as her grandmothers obsession with fairies. Amy shook her head distracted as she road her clanking bike like a drunken butterfly down the dirt road leading to the McGraney farm. The word fairy still caused Amy's heart to beat rather rapidly however she refused to believe her grandmothers stories. Days had passed , and the car still remained parked firmly next to the hillock. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Amy had almost forgotten about the situation she was in , until quite suddenly she was very nearly hit by a car.  
  
With very little time to react , Amy skidded to a halt causing her bicycle to slam against the cars side. She tumbled head first off the bike and landed with a mighty crash onto the dusty road. Instantly the wind was knocked out of her , but she wasn't dead which was a good sign she reasoned. Or it would be a good sign as soon as she got her breath back. The car pulled to a stop , Amy did'nt move. Moving required far to much effort , and she was more comfortable on the ground . She heard the sound of a door opening slowly , and then two heavy feat greeted her vision. The feat were huge , at least the size of a Christmas ham. They were encased in black leather , and in turn expensive black trousers. Painfully Amy looked up , she was greeted by a ferocious and very familiar face.  
' You" she whispered her shoulders beginning to shake.  
"Are you all right?" He questioned coldly and Amy slowly nodded. Before Amy could react Butler stooped down next to her and grabbed her wrist.  
" Checking your vitals" he explained and Amy nodded. While the sinister man checked her pulse another car door suddenly opened.  
"Butler , is there some sort of delay?'" A voice asked and Amy slowly turned her head. The voice was clipped , calm and young. It was the voice of a young man who resented the fact he wasn't yet an adult.  
"Just checking to see if this young ladies all right Master Artemis" the Eurasian man stated releasing Amy's wrist.  
"I see" the voice said coldly. The voice belonged to a boyish figure , who had now allowed his face to be revealed in the evening light. The boy was pale , and appeared to be so very tired with deep purple bruises of exhaustion under his blues eyes. There was however something all too familiar about his features.  
" You" Amy whispered nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.  
" Me?" The boy asked genuinely puzzled.  
" Have we met?" He asked coolly and Amy shook her heard.  
" No , I've seen you" she managed to stutter slowly standing up. She stood up , her knee's badly grazed and her hands covered with dirt.  
" Have you just?" He asked and Amy shivered in the damp evening air.  
" I have to go , thank you for making sure I was all right" Amy managed to say to butler slowly backing down the road. Before the two men could react , Amy allowed her self to half run half stumble off the road and into the Cyprus tree's until she was well hidden in the shadows. She was relieved when they did'nt follow her. Still shaking , Amy hugged her denim jacket around her frame and allowed herself to walk the short cut home through the trees.  
  
Slowly , elegantly Artemis Fowl stepped out of his town car. He was puzzled , which was not a normal occurrence .It was obvious that something had happened to his town car during his trip to the arctic. A bottle of distilled water was missing , along with an old issue of PC Magazine. Artemis kept it for sentimental reasons , he had invented a piece of soft ware which had been reviewed in the magazines news section.  
"What happened to the young lady Butler?" Artemis inquired glancing at his surroundings.  
" Fled into the woods it seems , we must have startled her" Butler replied gravely and Artemis cleared his throat.  
"We have no time to deal with her , we must locate mother and Juliet immediately" Artemis replied gravely.  
"Yes Artemis" Butler replied and his man servant turned back towards the car , ready to perform a routine bomb check. Artemis's eyes fell momentarily on the ground , something had fallen out of the girls jacket. Slowly he picked it up. It was a card. A slightly faded one , it showed a picture of a man covered in a thick red cloak standing in front of a table. He held a staff in one hand , and he had a perplexed expression on his face.  
"Butler , where are we?" He asked as he stepped into the Bentley.  
" Some where in the country" his manservant replied and Artemis stroked his chin thoughtfully.   
  
As the Bentley drove down the bumpy dusty road , Artemis allowed himself to stare out the window momentarily. It was by mere chance , or luck he was able to see the small sign post with the words " Mr. Granney's farm" in scripted on it.  
"Hmm" Artemis muttered under his breath an intriguing idea beginning to form. He placed the tarot card into his school blazer and leant against the seat closing his eyes momentarily. The business with the card signified a new beginning but it would have to wait. Right now he had to tie up the loose ends of his past , including his father. 


	4. The Magician

The Magician  
  
A/N Tis the season! I was going to upload this on christmas day but my evil brother kicked me off the computer. I'm a little disheartened about my lack of reviews.. Come on guys this story is'nt that awfull!  
Thank you to my loyal fan anime maniac , and to Alexis. Alexis your reviews are really great , and they help me continue writing this.  
  
The customer was very concerned when they found the corpse of a young lady sprawled across the thresh hold of the fairy knook gift shop.  
" Dear lord what's wrong with her!" The customer , a young women with bleached blonde hair cried stooping down over the stricken form. Mrs. McGraney looked up tiredly from where she had been placing price stickers on a set of fairy wind chimes.  
"Nothing , she's just playing" she said tiredly and she glanced down at the corpse.  
  
"Get up Amy , your disturbing people" her mother snarled and Amy groaned.  
" I think I'm dying of boredom , or maybe I'm just dying" Amy managed to say before slumping back down again.  
" What a funny little girl" the customer said stepping over Amy and into the shop.  
" She's protesting , I had to drag her in here today because her fathers gone off to sell some cattle at the markets" Mrs. McGraney replied with much rolling of the eyes.  
" Let me guess , she wants to stay home and play computer games?" The customer asked and Mrs. McGraney nodded.  
" Or watch television , children these days.. There practically computers!" Mrs. McGraney said spitting a sticker out of her mouth.  
"Arty's exactly the same , always poking away on some electric thing I don't under stand.. He does not even watch wrestling" the customer smiled conspiracy her bright pink shiny lips parting slightly. Amy glanced at the customer slyly through half lidded eyes. The customer was a muscular young woman , although not to masculine. She was dressed in a crisp stylish pink sun dress with a pair of plastic platform sandals. Her bleached hair had been gathered up in a series of glittery neon butterflies and a bright pink hand bag hung around her ankles.  
  
"Is Arty your brother , or your son?" Her mother asked conversationally as the customer eyed a rack of fairy theme jewelry.  
" Oh no , I work for his family my brother does as well" the woman replied shaking her hand distracted.  
" Good grief , I cant be having kids it will ruin my figure!" She laughed . Amy's mother who was on the pudgy side openly glared at the customer with jealousy.  
" I know what you mean , I had to have a caesarian with Amy" Her mother replied and Amy openly cringed with embarrassment . What was with mothers and constantly talking about embarrassing things such as pregnancy , foot fungus , or medical infliction's in public?  
" Ohh those hurt something awful my mum says" the customer nodded with sympathy and she selected a neck lace.  
" I saw your shop on my way through the village , its so totally cute.. The trailing ivy and the statue of puck at the front!" The customer squealed placing the necklace on the counter. Tripping on her high heels the customer then wandered towards the shelf of fairy theme books.  
" Lots of tourists seem to enjoy this place" her mother grinned proudly and Amy rolled her eyes. The customer was bound to leave with at least all the stock in her arms claiming they were presents for friends or relatives.  
"OOOOhhhh you sell that glittery make up stuff , and look how cheap it is!" The customer squealed grabbing several handfuls.  
"What's your name?" Amy suddenly asked.  
" Amy don't be so rude!" Her mother scolded her.  
" I want to know what her name is!" Amy snarled and the customer giggled impishly.  
" Your such a strange little girl , just like my arty.. Of course he isn't actually a girl" the customer said cocking her head to one side as if she was trying to think very hard.  
" My names Juliet" Juliet smiled and Amy blinked.  
" you mean like Romeo and Juliet?" She asked and the girl nodded.  
" I hated that play" Amy said sourly and she collapsed on the floor once again.  
" Don't mind her , the brats just hit puberty and she's constantly whining about something" Mrs. McGraney grumbled and Amy merely snorted. Juliet grinned jubilantly and added a few more books to her purchases.  
" I need something to read , I'm on my way to Russia" Juliet grinned.  
"Vacation?" Mrs. McGraney asked.  
" I wish , my employers husband whose been missing for three years was just found in a dirty hospital" Juliet whispered her eyes lighting up with gossip.  
"Ooh er , sounds just like east enders!" Mrs. McGraney cried.  
"Doesn't it? any way I was with Mrs. Fowl in one of those fancy spa's when we received a call about her husband. We went back to the manor to pack a few things , and now were on our way to her private air terminal" Juliet said conversationally placing the books on top of the necklace.  
" Did you just say Mrs. Fowl?" Amy asked sitting up.  
" yes little girl" Juliet replied impatiently.  
" Is she married to the Mr. Fowl whose very rich?" Amy asked again.  
" Yes" Juliet answered her and she proceeded to pull a credit card out.  
" Mrs. Fowl is just outside , she needed to stop and go to the bathroom . Now she's upset because there making her buy something at the cafe" Juliet addressed Mrs. McGraney ignoring Amy completely.  
" She could have used the one in the service station for free" Mrs. McGraney said helpfully.  
" Mrs. Fowl does not like use service station bathrooms" Juliet said proudly and Mrs. McGraney noisily put the books in a pink plastic bag with a picture of tinker bell on it.  
"What about Mr. Fowls son?" Amy asked and Juliet gave her a cold look.  
" How do you know about Arty?" She asked and Amy shrugged her shoulders.  
" I read about him in the papers" she lied and Juliet gave her a suspicious glance.  
" Be care full what you read kid" Juliet laughed menacingly stepping over Amy in her wobbly heels.  
"Amy you never read the papers" Mrs. McGraney whispered once Juliet had left.  
" I figured I better start" Amy replied.  
  
  
By that evening the news was in all the national papers. Billionaire Artemis Fowl senior , had been found outside a hospital in Russia. The media was astounded , they called the situation a miraculous discovery. After all there had been no sign of the prominet business man for nearly three years , then suddenly he was found alive and well bar a missing leg. The interviews all said pretty much the same thing. Artemis Fowl senior could not remember a single thing during his ordeal , his last memory was saying fair well to his family in Dublin. His family had been quoted and misquoted dozens of times. Several papers had taken photo's of a very innocent Artemis Fowl junior sitting next to his fathers hospital bed. One photo featured a familiar blonde woman standing next to Mrs. Angeline Fowl. Mrs. McGraney crowed with excitement.  
" We saw her didn't we Amy ? She told us before the media did!" She laughed noisily tearing the article out of the paper. Farmer McGraney's shaggy eye brows shot up with genuine astonishment. James grabbed the news paper clipping eagerly.  
" This girl was in your shop? God she's such a hottie!" He growled biting into his mashed potato.  
" James , we do not discuss that sort of thing at the dinner table" her mother pointed out. James just reached towards the photo of Juliet and quickly put it in the pocket of his vest.  
"Its a tragedy really , loosing a leg" there father suddenly sighed.  
" Oh I don't know honey , he could probably afford to buy another one" Mrs. McGraney pointed out. She opened the sugar canister suspiciously and sniffed it.  
" Whose replaced all the white sugar with brown?" She suddenly asked.  
" Granny did , she says that white sugar is unhealthy" said amy.  
" Your mother was here" she stated coldly and Farmer McGraney had the decency to blush bright red.  
" She was just helping out with the kids while you were away luv" he said defensively.  
" You know how I feel about that women!" Her mother hissed and Amy looked up from her plate of sausages. This was new , she had always assumed that her mother liked granny.  
" Dear , lets forget about it she's gone now" Farmer McGraney said soothingly. Amy was amusing herself by sorting her tarot cards into three different piles , the prettiest the scariest and the dullest.  
" Hey my magicians gone!" She suddenly cried.  
"Amy , you know your not supposed to be playing with things at the table!" Her mother scolded her.  
"Put the cards away luv" her father suggested gently.  
" But dad , one of the cards has gone and Granny said the packs really valuable!" Amy pointed out.  
" Put the cards away Amy" her mother said sternly and pouting amy scooped the cards up and placed them under her seat.  
" you see what I mean Johnny? She's filling Amy's mind with all sorts of silly occult nonsense!" Mrs. McGraney whispered to her husband furiously.  
" This is coming from a women who owns a fairy theme gift shop" he shot back and Mrs. McGraney flushed red.  
" That's completely different and you know it is!" She hissed.  
"Um" James muttered. The warring couple looked up and realized their two children were staring at them very intently.  
" Amy clear the plates" Her mother ordered her.  
" James , go bring desert out" her father responded. Amy and James both looked at each other and realized there parents meant it. Reluctantly they cleared the table together and retreated towards the kitchen.  
  
Amy scrubbed at the plates , the sound of crickets and the radio drowning out her parents. Amy's mother always made traditional roast dinners for lunch on Sundays. It usually consisted of at least three courses and desert. Amy had often protested trying to convince her mother that no one ate Yorkshire pudding or lamb any more but Mrs. McGraney refused to listen.  
"You do realize this is all your fault" James suddenly said pulling a custard and jelly dish out of the freezer.  
" You have no idea what your talking about" Amy said sternly scraping the potato into the compost bin.  
" they never fight over granny giving me chocolate , their fighting because of the weird presents granny gives you" James continued pulling several bowls out of the draw.  
" Shut up James" Amy warned her brother coldly and James slammed his lips together.  
"No! Your only telling me to shut up because you know I'm right!" Her brother said a little to coldly. Amy's eyes met him , and for a brief second the mind of a twenty three year old man gazed at her through the fog of stupidity.  
"They've stopped fighting , go take the desert out" Amy merely said a little to quietly. James furiously grabbed the desert , but he remained silent. Amy sighed with relied and she returned to the kitchen sink. She placed the plates into the sink and filled it up with soapy water. Her eyes lit up with surprise , she could see a delivery van moving down the dirt road and towards the farm house.  
" Mum ! Dad! There's a delivery!" She yelled and there was a pause in the conversation. Both her parents came into the kitchen puzzled expressions on their faces.  
" Are they delivering you stock?" Her father asked and Mrs. McGraney shook her head.  
" No , they would take it directly to the store" she replied.  
" What about you?" She asked her husband and he shook his head.  
" I'm not expecting anything for at least a week , besides its Sunday.. No mail" he pointed out. There was a knock at the door. The McGraney family gazed at the front hall way apprehensively.  
" I'll get it" James suddenly said bounding towards the door way. A few moments later he peered in anxiously.  
"Dad there's a delivery for the farm , but it has no name on it" he said a very confused expression on his face. The remaining McGraney's approached the front door where a gangly delivery man stood a gigantic box in front of him.  
" Any of you can sign for it , I think its for the farm in general" he said and slowly Farmer McGraney marched towards the delivery man. With a flourish he signed the form.  
" Thank you , now go away your interrupting our dinner" he said a little to rudely. The delivery man just glared at them all with contempt and returned to his truck.  
  
"Johnny that was uncalled for" Mrs. McGraney said and John shook his head.  
" I've got my suspicions luv , any way we best be opening it" he admitted reluctantly and it turned out James was way ahead of him .Amy anxiously tucked a strand of hair behind one ear while watching her brother open the crate. The box fell apart , revealing something quite surprising.  
"A bike" Mrs. McGraney gasped. It was a bike , a beautifull women's sports bike in a rich shade of royal purple with gleaming handle bars and a comfortable leather seat.  
" It's mine!" James cried eagerly.  
"Don't be to ridicules its much to small for you , it must be for me!" Amy said hungrily eyeing the cycle. For the life of her she had no idea who could have possible sent it to her. The bike was expensive and most of the people she knew could barely afford to buy her a candle for Christmas.  
" is this your idea of a joke Johnny? Spoiling her like this?" Her mother asked.  
"Me? I have no idea what your talking about!" Farmer McGraney cried holding up his hands in defeat.  
" I thought we agreed we wouldn't give her a new bike until her birthday!" Mrs. McGraney stated.  
" I did'nt give her the blasted bike" Farmer McGraney said coldly and Mrs. McGraney bit her lip realizing she would have to believe him. Meanwhile , Amy had noticed the thick white envelope stuck to the bikes handle bars. She ripped it off eagerly , the envelope was blank with no form of identification. She shook it experimentally , and heard a rustle . Amy ripped the envelope open and shook out the piece of paper. It was a piece of paper which had been printed of a laser jet printer. Typed neatly , in courier bold font was a single sentence.  
Consider this a replacement.  
However , the sentence was not what filled Amy with vague horror and dread , for printed underneath the text was a picture. A scanned image of her missing tarot card. The magician. 


	5. The testing

Chapter five : the doctor is in  
  
A/N I'm sorry if this storys dragging on a bit , its actually supposed to be a novel lengh fan fic ( roughly ten to fifteen chapters) so the action will begin in this chapter. Thanks to all of those who keep on reviewing.. It really makes my day!  
I'll probably get one more chapter out this week.. Then I'm going away for a week to a holiday house that has NO computer access so you'll have to wait a week for the next lot of chapters.  
  
  
Artemis Fowl was in counseling again , a situation which of course aggravated our favorite boy genius. Not that Artemis would reveal his aggravation , such emotions were beneath him. Instead , he sat firmly in Doctor Po's imitation Victorian chair while the counselor consulted a news paper.  
" I must say , congratulations Artemis" Doctor Po said sardonically tapping the news paper.  
"Congratulations?" Artemis asked coldly and Doctor Po frowned.  
" The discovery of your father of course , your family must be extremely pleased" Doctor Po replied.  
" Ecstatic" Artemis replied drolly.  
"No need for sarcasm Artemis , after all its usually only used to deflect attention away from a certain situation" Doctor Po pointed out.  
"Another text book answer doctor , I commend you" Artemis replied a little to kindly and the doctor dropped his guard again momentarily.  
" Is there something wrong Artemis , involving your father?" Doctor Po asked. Artemis's smooth white face remained as still as a porcelain plate. Of course deep down under all the layers of cold contempt and malevolence there was a small ember of light that was bothering Artemis. He felt , an almost pang of loneliness it was almost as if he missed some one or something. It felt similar to the feelings he had felt up until recently towards his father/ But his father was alive and well , recovering in the private hospital in Dublin. He no longer missed him , so the question was who did he miss?  
"There is nothing wrong doctor" Artemis replied snidely he turned to the Victorian chair.  
" I see that you've kept this monstrosity" Artemis sated swiftly changing the subject.  
" Well yes , it does have sentimental value" Doctor Po replied and he glanced at Artemis questionably.  
"Although some how I doubt that you would understand that" he said and Artemis inwardly flinched. It was true , Artemis was not prone to sentimental thoughts or notions. However his mind remembered briefly the flash of the gun , and how his hands had instinctively grabbed the fairy coin. He still had the coin , for some reason he could not fathom he had strung it on a thin silver chain which hung around his neck. Almost instinctively he reached towards the chain giving it a reassuring tug. Doctor Po eyed the movement curiously , knowing that what ever was going on in young Fowl's mind it would be impossible to understand.  
"Its rather amazing isn't it Artemis? You insisted that your father was still alive then a few days later his body is found quite a coincidence isn't it" Doctor Po continued and anger flared through Artemis's veins momentarily.  
"I hav'nt had time to notice , been far to busy with real estate ventures" Artemis replied and suddenly his cell phone began to vibrate. Artemis inwardly thanked what ever deity was listening and pressed the slim mobile to his ear.  
"Artemis , I've just gotten more information on the McGraney estate" Butlers voice greeted him.  
"Excellent , any information involving the girl?" Artemis asked turning away from doctor Po.  
" She's a local , I've contacted the local hospital but nothing came up she's probably keeping quite" Butler replied and Artemis sighed.  
" It wasn't to serious then , last thing I need is a whiny middle class family suing Fowl industries over a car accident" Artemis replied and he turned to Doctor Po.  
" Pardon me Doctor , but I have an important business venture that really cant wait" Artemis said to Doctor Po.  
" I thought we discussed this before young man , you cant leave when ever you feel like it!" Doctor Po replied how ever it was to late , Artemis had left his office. Sighing to himself Doctor Po sat back down and turned to his newspaper.  
  
"You spoke of information Butler" were the first words Artemis said to his man servant. Butler looked up from the steering wheel of the Bentley mildly amused.  
" yes , a connection of mine has a base in the village of Aine" Butler began and Artemis smiled.  
" Some how I doubt its a coincidence that the village is named after the mythological fairy queen Aine?" He questioned and Butler returned a brisk smile.  
" The village is mainly for tourists , they harp in all the fairy camp. Juliet was actually there a fortnight ago , she bought a fortune at one of their stores" he replied and Artemis stroked his chin thoughtfully.  
" Perhaps we can use Juliet for reconnaissance later , after all she does love to shop" Artemis mused and Butler nodded.  
"I've heard of this village before Butler , according to local urban legend an earl lived in an old manor which existed next to the door way into the peoples world" Artemis stated thinking out loud. Artemis had read many urban myths and legends involving the people , during that time years ago when he was attempting to capture a fairy. The legend of Aine , and the earl was one of them that he had bookmarked onto his computers favorites list.  
"According to my source the earls home was apparently located a few miles away from none other then the McGraney farm" Butler told Artemis and Artemis almost chuckled slightly.  
"And captain Short honestly believed I wouldn't find Tara , she underestimated me" he mused quietly and Butler coughed momentarily.  
" Butler , do not worry I'm not planning on exploiting the people again.. However knowing the entrance into their world will always be useful" Artemis mused.  
" Its best not to be to rash Artemis" Butler advised his charge.  
" Yes , we'll need to delve deeper into the historical aspects of the farm reported unusual circumstances that sort of thing" Artemis stated and he opened his personal lap top. Quickly he opened a separate document file and began to list his agenda.  
"A seismographic study shall also be useful , we shall need to gather soil samples pH levels that sort of thing" Artemis stated adding to his list.  
" Perhaps we should send a research team to the property?" Butler asked and Artemis smirked.  
" Yes , now that sounds like a novel idea" he grinned sourly revealing one of his famous vampire smiles.  
  
Amy suddenly realized she was deeply in like, or at least deeply in infatuation. It was a peculiar feeling one which she had never experienced before. She could not stop thinking about that boy , with his jet black hair and white skin. With absolute certainly she knew he was the one who sent her the bike. Many possibilities were traveling through her mind , was he Artemis Fowl? Or some one completely different? Amy did'nt know. All she knew was that he was becoming an obsession. The obsession became very clear during English class when Amy spent her free reading period pouring over old issues of the Irish Independent. When ever she found something relevant she would rip the article out and she would then paste it into her art sketch book.  
"You do realize your committing vandalism don't you?" Siobhain Mitchell said to Amy.  
" Its a project , for business studies" Amy replied and turned the page of the bulletins business section.  
"That's him!" She suddenly squealed pointing at the magazine article Siobhain , an extremely over wait girl with thick black hair peered over Amy's shoulder.  
"His cute , is he in a boy band?" She asked.  
"NO , his Artemis Fowl!" Amy replied tiredly with the air of an expert.  
" Who?"  
"Son of Artemis Fowl senior duh , one of the richest men in Ireland" Amy replied tiredly.  
"God , no need to go so psycho about it" Siobhain replied and she immediately turned away. Fortunately the droning school siren alerted Amy that school had ended for another day. She left the libraries newspaper on her chair and shoved the scrap book into her back pack clipping the front of the sachet.  
  
Normally Amy rode her bike home , sometimes Caitlin followed her yelling obscenities and sometimes Seamus came with her. Today she was alone , and much to her surpass James was waiting for her outside the bike rack. He was leaning against his pick up truck casually smoking. Several older girls passed him giggling , despite his stupidity James was moderately all right looking.  
" What the hell are you doing here?" Amy growled. James grabbed Amy's back pack and threw it into the car.  
" Get in , mum and dad said I have to pick you up right away" James replied.  
' Why? Did granny die?" Amy suddenly cried horrified.  
" No , nobody died.. Well not yet dad looks like his about to kill some one" James replied as Amy unlocked her bike. Carelessly James grabbed the brand new bike by its handle bars and tossed it into the back of the pick up truck.  
" Hey watch its! That bikes worth more then your stupid car!" Amy growled.  
" Shut up , and get in" James ordered sternly and Amy immediately opened her mouth with out rage. Reluctantly she crawled into the car.  
The first thing Amy saw on the way home was a series of trucks . They were huge trucks , gigantic trucks as white as snow that roared down the dusty road like giants. Amy counted at least three of them before her vision was completely blinded by churned up dust.  
" Get out we are walking , unless you want me to crash" James replied.  
" Nah ah , you can walking I'm riding" Amy replied firmly.  
  
Amy soon realized she had made a rather unfortunate mistake. The air was filled with flying dust and it caught in her lungs and throat. To get some relief Amy urged her bike through the short cut through the Cyprus trees. After five minutes of weaving in and out through trees she reached the edge of a small hill which overlooked the McGraney farm. What she saw below forced her to bite her lip so hard she tasted blood.  
"Shit!" She swore loudly glad that her parents couldn't hear her. The farm looked like a carcass on top on an ants hill , buzzing and swarming with dark and sinister activity. Trucks were roaring towards the cow sheds , where they would stop , unload then roar off again. At least a dozen people were setting up a series of huge white tents on the hillock. Figures were marching around the property menacingly , while other figures in white coats moved in an out of the tents. Amy immediately road her bike down the hill the wheels bumping dangerously against rocks and old rabbit burrows. She skidded to a stop and she saw the dumpy figure of Mrs. McGraney running towards her clutching a squirming daisy desperately in her arms.  
"Oh Amy its awful!" She cried pausing for breath.  
" Mum what the hells going on?" Amy asked and Mrs. McGraney gave a dry sob.  
" They say their people from the governments geological society , they said that some one dumped a large dispatch of toxic waste in this area illegally forty years ago!" Her mother cried handing the cat over to Amy.  
" Toxic waste? but surely that would make us sick!" Amy stated after all she was rather good at science.  
" They say it will take a while for the effects to sink in.. But apparently we are all in terrible danger they want us to sell our land immediately!" Mrs. McGraney cried.  
" Your fathers worked so hard on this farm , and for it all to end like this! Its awful!" Mrs. McGraney finished.  
" Mum , go inside and make some tea" Amy said firmly and her mother nodded her knees shaking. Although the immediate future was uncertain , Mrs. McGraney was willing to face it with a strong cup of tea sloshing around in her stomach.  
  
"Daddy !" Amy cried finally spotting her father , her father was practically screaming at an imposing man in an expensive suite.  
" Listen to me lad I know me rights! Your supposed to get a warrant aren't you? Besides I've lived on this farm my entire life and I know for a fact that there's never been any waste dumped here!" Her father cried and the man handed over several legal documents.  
" We believe the waste was dumped between June the third and July the fourth in the year nineteen sixty two" he replied sourly.  
"That was the month mam sent me away to visit my uncle Stanley" John McGraney said his skin paling slightly.  
" My parents still would have know about it though!" He protested.  
" They were most probably lied to Mr. McGraney , the government tended to turn a blind eye against that sort of thing in those days" he replied.  
"Who are you?" Amy asked rudely.  
"I'm a government solicitor and I'm attempting to get you daddy to agree to selling this dwelling" he replied snidely.  
" Hold on a second , if you let this happen then shouldn't I be suing you?" Mr. McGraney suddenly asked and the lawyers eye brow shot up with surprise.  
" As of yet we do not know whether there is an actual cause of alarm , if you like we could discuss legal matters after our research team displays their findings" the lawyer replied.  
"If your testing for toxic waste then why haven't you evacuated the village?" Amy suddenly asked.  
" What do you know about nuclear testing little girl?" he asked snidely and Amy matched him with a stare you could crack rocks on.  
"More then you obviously , first you said it was toxic waste and now its nuclear waste what next? Sulfuric acid raining from the sky?" Amy asked snidely.  
"I'd advise you to teach your daughter some manners Mr. McGraney" the lawyer replied.  
"Go inside Amy" her father began.  
"But dad!" Amy cried .  
" Just do it!" Her father said coldly , it was a day when every one in the world seemed to be snapping at her.  
  
The phone rang while Amy was spying on the activity at the hillock using her brothers binoculars. Amy reached towards the phone and pressed it against her ear.  
" McGraney farm , the only farm that's mad cow free" she stated solemnly and she heard the sound of some one laugh.  
" Amy its Seamus , why did'nt you come over today? We were supposed to be playing Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets on play station two" Seamus stated and Amy frowned.  
" Couldn't come , turns out the governments invaded my farm. They say their testing for nuclear waste but they keep changing their story" Amy replied.  
"Wait a minute , did you just say the government?" Seamus asked.  
" Well they claim to be the government , but they seem more concerned with trying to buy the farm off dad rather then evacuating us which seems pretty weird to me" Amy replied and Seamus made a thoughtful sound.  
"What are they doing exactly?" He asked and Amy snorted.  
" They've built a big white tent around the hillock and scientist types keep coming in and out.. But the thing is if they were really testing for waste wouldn't they be wearing tickle me pink jump suites?" Amy asked.  
" There actually more neon orange Amy" Seamus pointed out.  
" Its totally weird Seamus , I mean its like they want something in the hillock" Amy began . Then a memory bubble surfaced in her mind. The hillock opening up , and the figures disappearing in the silver egg.  
"Their trying to find the silver egg!" Amy squealed.  
" Is that one of those priceless antiques your brothers always digging up?" Seamus asked.  
" No , its more like an elevator a small one" Amy replied.  
"And why is there an elevator in your hillock?" Seamus asked patiently.  
"How the hell am I supposed to know? Just because I got an A on my last science test it doesn't mean I'm a fricken genius!" Amy cried.  
" Amy don't say the f word!" Her mother called from the counter.  
" Sorry!" Amy shot back.  
"Amy , you still there ? " Seamus asked.  
  
  
" Yeah I am , listen tell your dad you need to come over and tutor me for our next English test" Amy whispered urgently into the receiver.  
" We don't have an English exam!" Seamus pointed out.  
" We are not going to study for English , we are going to get into that tent" Amy whispered.  
" Why?" Seamus asked.  
" So like duh , we can steal stuff and break things!" Amy replied rolling her eyes.  
" Yes , but why would we want to do that?" Seamus asked.  
" Look Seamus , these people are really starting to Pi.. Er annoy me off! I have to do something to vent my feelings" Amy replied.  
" We could get in trouble" Seamus replied.  
For what? Breaking and entering? I live here!" Amy pointed out.  
" All right but I'll tell dad I'm staying over for the night , we'll probably have to sneak out pretty late" he pointed out.  
" Thanks Seamus , you always think of everything" Amy replied hanging up.  
  
Seamus arrived nervously , at around seven clutching a sleeping bag to his chest.  
"Calm down , my parents know your going to be here.. At the moment they don't really care" Amy replied grabbing him by the shoulder .  
"We'll set up in the cow shed , its warm there and its a lot closer to the hillock" Amy whispered.  
" We're going to sleep with cows?" Seamus asked scarcely able to believe it.  
" No , once we get into the camp we'll go back to the living room and you can sleep their" Amy replied dragging her own sleeping bag across the wet grass.  
"You know , while were out there we may as well study" Seamus replied and Amy growled.  
"Spoil all my fun" Amy muttered.  
  
Several hours had passed , the shed looked like a bomb had hit it. Amy was sprawled out on a sleeping bag vaguely listening to Seamus lecture her on Hamlet.  
"Are you listening Amy?" He asked.  
" Yeah , Hamlet , ghosts and daggers whoohoo" Amy replied yawning.  
"Lets try a different approach , you see Hamlets like the lion king" Seamus began.  
" Really?" Amy asked startled by this new theory. However she stopped , when she realized something was amiss.  
"Listen , the farms gone quite.. The scientists must have packed up for the day" Amy whispered. Immediately she grabbed her brothers binoculars and jammed them to her nose.  
" The trucks have gone , and the lights gone off in the tent" she whispered.  
" Lets go then" Seamus replied and he reached into his sleeping bag pulling out a crow bar.  
" When you spend career day ripping crates open with one of these things , you tend to find out how to break into buildings" Seamus whispered to Amy and she nodded. Amy reached into her back pack and Jammed her brothers black balaclava onto her head. She handed another one to Seamus.  
" This has Manchester united written on it!" He pointed out.  
" Shut up , and lets go!" She whispered.  
  
The two children , half stumbling half whispering excitingly dashed across the slick wet grass towards the tent. They paused against the tents smooth white surface and Amy gazed at her bright blue wrist watch. She lit up the screen and it read roughly two a.m.  
"All right , we've got around two hours before dad gets up" she whispered.  
" Will it really take that long?" Seamus asked.  
" Doubt it , but we need to be out of the cow shed before he sees us" Amy replied. They approached the tent flap cautiously.  
"For a government organization they have pretty crappy security" Seamus whispered gesturing towards a cheap padlock. Amy reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a fair of kitchen scissors. The quietly , she cut around the fabric surrounding the lock until it fell on the floor with a vague " clanking noise".  
" How did you come up with that?" Seamus asked.  
" It seemed logical at the time" Amy replied stepping into the tent.  
  
The inside of the tent was filled with twilight gloom , the officials had actually set up desks and working area's around the hillock. Amy gasped , next to the hillock some one had dug an incredibly deep shaft.  
" Their digging in the wrong place" Amy muttered . She dragged her eyes away from the shaft and turned to the working areas.  
" Open those draws!" Amy ordered Seamus and almost joyfully he wrenched the draw apart with the crow bar with a splintering of wood. Amy stooped down and began rifling through the contents. Feeling very secret angenish she turned on the tinker bell shape torch her daddy had got her last Christmas and examined the documents.  
" These show geological testing , not chemical" Amy muttered.  
" How can you tell?" Seamus asked and Amy rolled her eyes.  
" There's a huge difference between rocks and chemicals Seamus" she pointed out. She shuffled through her papers and handed them to Seamus.  
" Hey , this is the logo of Fowl Industries!" Seamus cried pointed at a picture of a chicken on a black back round.  
" Pretty crappy logo" Amy whispered.  
" That's not the point Amy , Fowl industries is a private organization.. They don't go around testing for chemicals" Seamus whispered with excitement.  
" So?" Amy asked.  
" So , you can completely take them down what their doing is probably illegal" he replied and Amy bit her lip furiously. She remembered what her father had told her , about the Fowls being a shady lot and how they were quite possibly connected with the criminal underworld.  
"Quick , do you still have that Hamlet lion king stuff on you?" Amy whispered pulling the geographical reports out of the manilla binder.  
" Yes you didn't give me a chance to put them down!" Seamus pointed out. He handled her a bundle of lined writing paper. Smirking , Amy pushed the scientific report into her back pack. Then , she placed the bundle of paper into the manilla folder and placed it back in the draw.  
" I'm going to take these to our science teacher Miss Green" Amy whispered.  
"Good idea , she'll be able to tell what's going on" Seamus replied sarcastically.  
" Just because you don't like her" Amy began , however she shut up when she heard the low sound of a formidable growl.  
  
  
"Oh god , they have dogs" Amy whispered slowly she turned around. A rotweiler was standing a few feet away chained to the tent flap. It had obviously just woken up.  
"Seamus , Run!" Amy whispered her eyes fearfully on the dogs foaming gnashing teeth.  
' Good idea" Seamus replied and fearfully , the two children dashed out of the tent and into the early summer night.  
  
  
"That was so cool" Amy whispered with excitement Seamus rolled his eyes backwards and silently fainted. Amy looked up wondering what had caused her friend to suddenly convulse in a very girlie fainting spell. The silver barrel of a hunting gun reached her nose. Slowly her eyes dragged beyond it , into the cloudy idiotic eyes of her brother James.  
" Well well , you two are in a lot of trouble aren't you?" He grinned. 


	6. The dark of the blackest night

A/N I am annoyed , mainly due to lack of reviews. It's hard work writing this story , especially since I'm trying to write a female charector who is not a mary sue while steering away from the usual and predictable Artemis/Holly story line. I think my lack of reviews revolves around the fact that this is'nt an Artemis/Holly fic.. Or what ever. .Oh and I know some people here might object to the use of the gun in this chapter. I wrote the gun in for a specific purpose. Guns are stupid and bad , and showing James stupidity while using one is supposed to warn you all how easily it is to hurt some one while using a gun.  
Thank you to the following people for your reviews.  
Bride of lister: Thank you , thats a really great compliment!such a pity the big walrus himself has'nt read this yet.  
Alexis: Your reviews always make me happy , I like describing things.. In fact I got the " descriptive writer" result in the what sort of writer are you quiz?  
Day of triffids : Thanks for reviewing , I agree Holly and Artemis is getting a bit old its just like the hey Arnold fanfiction fandom.. Gah guys hav'nt you ever heard that variety is the spice of life?  
And now lets bring in the action muhahahahah.  
  
Chapter six: In the dark of the blackest night  
  
Deep within the bowls of the McGraney farm , something stirred.  
Amongst the soil and clay , something moved. A single piece of metal rocked against the earths crust , it was a box made of Iron .The shaft Artemis's team had dug had disturbed it. The box rocked from side to side revealing three symbols written in the ancient gnomish language. If , you happened to be a member of the people the symbols would have been enough to send you running off into the sunset .They were dripping with sinister intentions. Slowly a crack revealed itself , and a wisp of smoke blew into the night air. It smelt of ancient library's and history , above everything else it smelt of death. The wisp of smoke traveled upwards billowing out of shape until it flowed out of the shaft and into the night sky. It paused , and if you squinted in just the right way it almost appeared humanoid in shape. The full moon sang to it , and the shape defined itself using the electric buzz of the peoples magic until it turned into a figure which collapsed onto the hillock . It stared up at the full moon with wonder feeling its ancient song wash over it. The sweet smell of freedom lay over the farm yard , through the woods and some where into the distant. The figure held up its hands , bony and bleached white .It then smiled feeling muscles moving in its cheeks .It had been a while.  
  
The image was entirely in monochromatic shades of black and white. It was also gray .The image panned and moved showing two figures darting through the office desks nervously. The first figure , was a tall gangly boy with a mop of light fine hair visible even under his Manchester united hat. The second figure , was a chubby girl dressed entirely in black her short dark hair just visible under her balaclava. The girls face turned , revealing a small round face with round eyes , and a crop of acne visible on her cheek. Then her face completely froze her mouth partially open with surprise.  
" Ah , now this is my favorite part. The part where two kids , not even adolescents manage to walk into the research facility that I spent over a quarter of a million dollars on security" Artemis said coldly gesturing towards the television set which was showing a security camera tape.  
"To be fair , the girl did cut the lock off with a pair of scissors" his head security guard pointed out.  
" I was counting on more then a cheap padlock Williams , I paid for high tech alarms , sensor pads and round the clock night watch men" Artemis said a little to kindly and Williams the head of security shifted nervously.  
" We haven't got around to installing all that stuff yet , we did bring Misty in though" Williams coughed.  
" Misty? What on earth is a Misty?" Artemis stated leaning back in his leather recliner.  
"It's my sons rotweiler , a viscous little bugger that will bite your arm off given half the chance" Williams replied and Artemis clenched his fists. It was a remarkable show of  
emotion and frustration in the young Fowl. Butlers eyes shifted momentarily , it was obvious that he was worried about his master. Usually Artemis's emotions were carefully dissected and shaped until all that was left was a cold facade. Now , it seemed as if something was crawling or jumping underneath his skin. Could it have been the onset of puberty? Butler mused. He inspected Artemis's smooth white face momentarily. There was a rather suspicious red mark on the end of his chin but it could have been a mosquito bite.  
"Butler , have you discovered any more information concerning this girl" he said with a slight grimace and Butler looked up sharply.  
"One of your solicitors Jacob Robert's was at the McGraney estate earlier this after noon , he managed to discover that the girl was a Mr. John Mcgraney's daughter" Butler stated and Artemis frowned.  
" Any thing else?" He asked and Butler slowly raised his eye brows. It was obvious that something was definitely wrong with young Artemis. Normally he would have searched for Amy McGraney on the Internet himself. Artemis loved a computer related challenge.  
"Her name is Amy McGraney , she's thirteen and seven months and attends the local high school" Butler stated. Artemis raised an eye brow and Butler cleared his throat.  
" Not much can be told by her schools permeate record , the girl in question happens to be failing English but she gets high marks in science. It's been recorded that she was a member of her schools choir and badminton team" Butler finished.  
"Miss McGraney sounds like a complete bore , but she must be dealt with immediately" Artemis said uncomfortably stroking his chin. He had already formed an opinion in his head of Amy McGraney , she was one of those many " stupid" people that tended to populate the planet. Artemis reasoned that such a person could quite easily be dealt with .It was then that the head of his research team , a doctor Julia Peters grove entered Artemis's office.  
"Finally , some good news" Artemis sighed and the doctor handed him the manilla folder containing the field research. Artemis opened the folder and pulled out a series of loose paper.  
"This report doesn't look very professional doctor" he stated coldly. His eyes fell apon the words , the report appeared to be in the quick energetic handwriting of some one who had just begun to craft their own style.  
"The lion king is just like Shakespeare's Hamlet , in both things the stories about a prince who has to get revenge on their evil uncle after their uncle kills their dad. In both things , the two princes , Hamlet and Simba see the ghost of their dead father , the ghost in Hamlet was scary , the ghost in the lion king was lame" Artemis read and slowly he raised an eye brow.  
"Despite the fact this happens to be a real jewel of an English essay , it has very little to do with our research" Artemis said dryly dropping the essay onto his expensive Italian desk.  
" Perhaps our little visitors decided to leave you a gift Artemis" Butler suggested and Artemis frowned.  
"Perhaps you are right , we need that research Butler.. I believe its time we make life very difficult for the Mcgraney's" Artemis smirked.  
  
  
Amy stared at the sleek gun , the universe paused and took a breath.  
"If you promises not to shoot me I'll give you five pounds" Amy whispered. James stared at the gun as if he suddenly realized he was holding it.  
" Ten" he bargained.  
"Done!" Amy said and James slowly lowered the gun.  
"For another fiver , I wont tell dad you've been out here" James added and Amy bit her lip.  
" I only have twelve pounds and fifty pence on me!" She cried.  
" Next weeks allowance then" he snarled.  
" That's not fair , you have a job that pays you ten times that amount daily!" Amy cried.  
" I want to buy this girl some of that flower crap you lasses seem to love so much" he said shifting with embarrassment.  
" Oh my god! You have a girlfriend!" Amy cried.  
" I do not!" James screamed causing Seamus to wake up with shock.  
"Are we dead yet?" He asked dreamily.  
" No , but Seamus you'll have to give James five pound so he wont shoot us" Amy whispered.  
" Your brothers mugging us?" He asked.  
" It looks like it" Amy whispered.  
"Why?" He asked.  
" he has a girlfriend"  
" I DO NOT!" James screamed throwing the gun onto the grass. It immediately fired narrowly missing an ant hill.  
" Oh shite!" James cried his eyes growing wide with shock.  
" dad wasn't supposed to know I had his hunting gun , his going to kill me!" James whispered. A single light in the farm house flickered on.  
" Hide!" James cried pushing the two children away. The three of them found them selves running towards the out house where they all crammed themselves inside slamming the door behind them. Amy sat on the toilet seat , Seamus on the floor and James leant against the door.  
Amy closed her eyes dramatically , it had been a long night.  
  
Slowly , painfully Amy opened her eyes shaking her short brown hair away .For the second time in one night a gun was aimed at her fore head.  
"Primitive mud man tool" a voice growled .  
"Its my brothers" Amy managed to whisper , her assailant merely frowned and continued to point the gun at Amy's skull.  
" You the McGraney kid?" he asked and Amy nodded.  
" Holly mentioned you , but that donkey boy Fouly couldn't find much except for a few school reports" he continued. Her assailants voice sounded very odd , like an out of tune radio it was also very familiar. A drift of clouds which had been obscuring the moonlight drifted away and the blue white light filled the outhouse. She saw the face of a man , a handsome man. However , it was pointed , and his ears were extremely wrong. Long blonde hair had been tied loosely behind one shoulder and a single scar ran down his cheek. His eyes glittered dangerously , they were eyes that lived on skating along the brink of death.  
"You like the scar? Got it while fighting goblins in the haven around a month ago" he growled stroking his cheek.  
" It looks wicked painful" Amy whispered fearfully.  
"Of course it was , but I kept the scar in order to remind me to always be on the prowl and to always be alerted towards danger" he said leaning against the toilet door.  
" Oh , that's nice" Amy said politely.  
" You don't know much do you mud girl?" He growled.  
" I know that I'm being attacked by a very strange man with a funny voice" she said meekly.  
" I'm not a mud man , I'm one of the people" he growled.  
" what's that supposed to mean?" Amy asked.  
" Do I have to spell it out to you mud girl , I've got pointy ears ! I'm a ..fairy" he managed to state turning his face away with shame.  
" Grandmother always said you were real but I thought she was insane mainly because she talks to herself and leaves saucers of milk out" Amy babbled and the Leprechaun agent stared at her.  
"Are mud girls always this noisy?" He asked impatiently.  
" Oh yes" Amy replied.  
"D' arvit! Now listen little mud girl I'm here in order to give you a message.. Keep Artemis Fowl away from Tara" he growled.  
' How the heck am I supposed to do that?" Amy asked. The fairy cocked his head to one side as if listening to a voice no one else could hear.  
" Fouly I'm not going to say that!" He growled and Amy jumped back with fright.  
" Why not? She's a mud girl for d'arvits sake! Some how I doubt she could use womanly persuasion on Artemis Fowl" he hissed turning away from Amy.  
" Excuse me , are you suffering from a bought of schizophrenia?" Amy asked. She wasn't quite sure what schizophrenia was ..all she knew was that it was a term often thrown around when describing crazy people.  
"Schizo what?" He asked turning towards her.  
"I was asking you if you've gone crazy" she asked , she was suddenly very much aware that some one was asleep on her lap. She look down , and saw both James and Seamus's heads.  
"I put them asleep , they'll wake up refreshed tomorrow morning" he stated and Amy nodded. She was feeling very strange and dream like , some how the situation seemed to make perfect sense.  
"I asked you a question " she repeated.  
" Why would you think I've gone crazy?" He asked.  
" You were talking to yourself" Amy pointed out.  
" No I wasn't , I was talking to Fouly!" He cried.  
" Is Fouly an imaginary friend?" She asked.  
" No his a centaur" said the Lep officer. Amy's eyes fell on the uniforms name tag , however instead of letters all she could see were pictograms.  
"Oh a centaur well that explains everything" Amy said rolling her eyes.  
" Don't patronize me mud girl!" He snarled he reached towards his side and thrusted what appeared to be a toy gun in Amy's face.  
"You seem to be a bit trigger happy Mr.." Amy began.  
" The names Trouble , Trouble Kelp and what do you mean by trigger happy?" He snarled.  
"Well you tend to fly off the handle for no particular reason.. Tell me do you often go psycho?" She asked hesitantly.  
"Are you often this annoying" he shot back.  
Lower the toy gun and I'll tell you" Amy whispered , reluctantly he lowered the gun.  
" I've just always liked a small spot of violence you know.. It makes me feel like a big man" he replied and Amy nodded sympathetically.  
"I prefer to yell at people when I need to boost my self confidence" Amy replied , suddenly trouble growled and raised the gun.  
" Your trying to distract me from my mission girlie and that aint going to happen. I'm here to tell you to keep Artemis Fowl away. .we want you to do whatever necessary and believe me if you succeed well reward you" he growled and Amy bit her lip.  
"Whose we?" She asked hesitantly.  
" The people , the fairies Artemis has already screwed us over twice his not going to do it again" Trouble replied and Amy nodded.  
" What do you want me to do?" She asked fearfully her eyes still on the gun.  
" Your going to fall asleep right now , while my centaur friend plays with your subconscious" Trouble growled his voice laced with the deadly mesmer. As Amy's eyes began to shut , something stopped the mesmer from continuing. The privies door had slammed open causing trouble to topple over .Like an avenging angel Amy's grandmother stood overt the fairy clutching onto her umbrella her shawl soaring in the wind.  
" Oh no you don't you daft bugger!" She shrieked whacking Trouble on the head with the umbrella.  
" Lassie grab his gun!" Granny McGraney barked and Amy grabbed the toy pistol fearfully.  
" Ay.. Your not ..noot supposed to doooo that!" Trouble said woozy tottering from side to side. WHACK. Went the sound of Granny Mcgraney's umbrella as it smashed against troubles skull once again.   
"Need to cover the buggers eyes!" Granny cried ripping her shawl off. She tied it around the struggling elf before whacking him in the side again.  
" Now bugger off Nancy boy!" She growled kicking the fairy out of the toilet.  
"Granny! How did you.." Amy began feeling extremely shocked.  
" Your father rang me this afternoon pet , I came as soon as I could and when I saw that little bugger creep into the privy I knew you were in trouble" her Grandmother spat as they watched Trouble disappear replaced by nothing more then a heat shimmer.  
"Granny he was a fairy wasn't he?" Amy asked hesitantly and her grandmother nodded.  
"Aye he was lass , we better get you safe and inside.. Something fowl happens to be afoot" he grandmother whispered completely ignoring the fact she had made a rather bad pun.  
"Granny , what the heck is going on?" Amy cried with expiration. Granny McGraney gazed at Amy thoughtfully and slowly ruffled her hair.  
"For now , its best you go to bed pet.. Tomorrow I'll explain things as best as I can" she said soothingly.  
  
The creature watched the four mud men walk towards the farm house and disappear inside. It lay amongst the grass its body still weak , and its mind still plagued with half forgotten memories. It trembled slightly and gazed up at the full moon thoughtfully.  
"Thank you queen Aine , thank you for my life" he whispered in a voice that sounded like a marble being tossed down a drain. The moons song paused , as if trying to remember then it smiled down at him for ever remaining silent. 


	7. The Caskett

Chapter seven : The Caskett  
  
A/N This chapter happens to be an incredibally weird one , but its importent plot wise. Things are starting to get a little less fun and a little bit more darker , which I regret , but then again a story always does have to develop in order to keep the reader interested.  
I'm starting to get concerned about all these frequent bannings that seem to be occuring in the Artemis Fowl section. Theres really no need to act out this malice on writers who are doing nothing wrong. I'm also annoyed because " the quest of the walrus" happens to be my all time favourite Artemis Fowl fan fic and its impossible reading it when people keep banning it all the time. Any way.  
  
Bride_of _lister : I'm sorry to see that you've been banned from fanfiction.net , it seems that people in this fandom tend to "ban" rather then try something new and when ever any one attempts anything different they are automatically booted out.  
  
Mage Kitty : Yes I realize that I spelt Foaly wrong , damn spell checkers are constantly causing trouble. I was tired when I edited chapter six and hit the   
"Smart" correct option on my spell checker which meant it changed everything automatically. I'm glad to see you like my story and I hope you'll stick around.  
  
Pink cherry blossum : You've really made my day by putting my story on your favourites list , it made me feel as if writing this is worth all the time and effort :)  
  
Now lets get this show on the road!  
********************  
  
  
  
And then it happened!  
  
The storm raged below her , and her eyes reflected the clouds. They reflected the world , in silver mirror fragments and they were filled with bitter coldness. Still she said nothing , watching the eternal moonscape spread before her for ever unchanging and forever baron.  
"I know you" Artemis accused her his body moving in a trance like strait. She moved towards him , her form flickering in and out of perception.  
"That is not why you came" she whispered her features sharpened and flickered into the face of Captain Holly Short. Then , they returned to the soft eternal face of the Madonna , the mother.  
" I came for answers" he said defiantly hugging his dressing gown around his thin frame.  
" Not everything has an answer , especially when you have to ask" she finished. Her hair was so white it shone blue , it was the color of moonlight . She was dressed in a plain white robe that reached to her ankles and flew in fluttery rags around her bleached skin.  
" I always know the answers" Artemis answered defiantly and she turned away from him. The blizzard blew around them slowly in mathematical perfection.  
"From up here I can see your house" she said mischievously and her eyes reflected Juliet sitting in a sunny garden reading a magazine.  
  
  
  
"You must have good eyesight" he muttered.  
" The best" she whispered sadly then she stepped towards him a single tulip forming in her hands.  
"They call them the winter flower for they bloom in the coldest of places , I cry for them" she said placing the flower in his hand.  
" I cry for myself , loving the cold has its price" Artemis replied taking the flower from her hands.  
"However standing in the warmth can also be to much to bear" she said her lips moving towards his ear. They were dark , the color of the night sky.  
"Every one needs the sun , with out it we will perish" Artemis replied and she growled with frustration.  
" Like how you perished with out your father?" She asked furiously.  
"Leave him out of this" Artemis warned her stepping away. The snow fell like a globe and then stopped instantly framed in the mid air. Down below the earth continued to spin , and the storm continued to blow.  
" They say you wont listen , they say you wont learn from his mistakes.. How are you so sure he wanted to be rescued?" She teased mirthlessly.  
" I know what they say , but a child needs his father" Artemis replied coldly for a moment her face flickered to the round features of Amy McGraney .  
" I've heard all about you Artemis , you do everything for purely selfish reasons you ruined my family's life!'' She cried in a breathless girlie whisper.  
" I don't care about you" he growled and she returned to the way she was before. Slowly she stepped towards him and cradled his cheek lovingly as if greeting an old friend.  
"If you strip away everything , who are you really? You are not the magician you are not even a shadow of him" she said soothingly.  
"You are wrong" he said harshly and she gazed at him shocked.  
"I am me" he stated .  
  
She gasped with pain.  
Her bone white hands clutched her stomach , and blood flowed down her robes. Drunkenly she stepped towards him.   
Blood smeared across his mouth , it smelt of roses and it tasted of ice.  
" You did it Artemis " she said a disbelieving smile on her face.  
"You killed me" she growled stepping away from him. Her eyes reflected Angelina Fowl and she spoke in his mothers voice.  
" Its was your day Arty , it was your day" she whispered slumping onto the dusty surface of the moon. Her eyes opened one last time , they reflected nothing as the blood fell onto the bone gray dust.  
  
"Wake up!" A voice hissed and Artemis's eyes opened , his four hundred thread cotton sheets rapped around him in a firm cocoon. His glassy blue eyes immediately swept across his master bedroom. However there was nothing , nothing but the smell of rotting flowers and brittle curtains blowing in the wind. His eyes fell on the full moon partially visible from his bedroom window. Artemis had no smidgen of romance in his soul , in fact he was more likely to dissect a poem for its rhyming scheme then appreciate it for its beauty. However the moon reminded him temporally of his first meeting with Captain Holly Short. How she had stared at the moon , her ears flexing in the wind. It reminded him of the dream , and he shuddered visibly. He reached towards the intercom and pressed onto the button.  
" Butler?" He asked shakingly , there was a snort followed by the sound of someone standing up.  
" Is there something wrong Artemis?" His man servant asked.  
" Just a night mare Butler , could you bring up a glass of water?" Artemis inquired.  
" Right away sir" Butler said briskly and Artemis switched the intercom off. It was a feeble excuse , but Butler seemed to have bought it. The details of the dream were becoming vaguer by the second but an unsettling feeling was creeping over him. He couldn't remember the last time he had lost control in a dream like that. Normally Artemis's sleeping patterns fell under the category of lucid dreaming. Suddenly being robbed of his self awareness plagued him. He had suffered from a night mare. He knew that nightmares usually occurred as a form of post traumatic stress disorder. Did the arctic incident have a deeper and longer lasting impact on his mind? Was his subconscious deeply troubled?  
There was a tentative knock on the door.  
" Come in Butler" Artemis said tiredly kicking the bed clothes away. His man servant entered the bed chamber , ever diligent he was fully dressed.  
" Perhaps I should have asked Juliet to bring you a glass of warm milk" Butler joked noticing the dark shadows under Artemis's eyes.  
" Funny Butler" Artemis said dryly reaching towards the glass of water. His hands shook causing the liquid to spill onto his bed shirt.  
"Are you all right Artemis?" Butler asked uneasily. He realized his masters request for a drink was a shallow excuse and that really Artemis did not want to be alone.  
" I'm fine" Artemis breathed.  
" It was just a dream" Butler pointed out and Artemis agreed with him nodding his head. Butler recalled the past Fowl children his relatives had guarded. . They were all essentially children , creatures not afraid to reveal their emotions , not afraid to believe in fears and anxieties. Artemis was never like that , he had always been thirteen going on forty.  
" There really is no need for you to stay here Butler" Artemis said kindly placing the glass on his dresser.  
"Are you sure?" Butler asked and Artemis nodded.  
" Its nearly morning , I'll busy myself with more research into the history of the McGraney estate" Artemis said determinedly his shoulders shaking slightly. Hesitantly Butler placed a firm hand on Artemis's shoulder before turning away. Butler looked over his shoulder one last time , and caught the site of Artemis sighing almost sadly.  
  
Meanwhile , some where which was definitely not over a rainbow a certain LEP officer was being yelled at by the now infamous beet root colored , wizard of oz loving manic depressive Commander Root.  
" An Umbrella! Your telling me that the officer who managed to take down an entire goblin squadron and coach the LEP's company soft ball team to a stunning victory was defeated by an old lady with an umbrella?" Root roared pores dilating in his face.  
"In all fairness sir , it was a big umbrella" Trouble managed to cry as a medic massaged healing gel into his black eye.  
"Oh it was wasn't it? I better then an instant message down to the training room warning all would be LEP officers about the dangers of little old mud women with umbrella's!" Root growled and Foaly ( A/N spelt with an A , thank you very much reviewers ;) ) turned from his computer console.  
"We have bigger problems then that sir , turns out our would be genius Artemis Fowl has managed to dig a shaft which is now only a few feet away from Tara" Foaly stated gesturing towards a video surveillance monitor Artemis set up in the tent. Foaly had managed to piggy back into the system and was now observing Artemis's dig. Root moved towards the screen , partially visible he could see the edge of a metal casket. A nerve twitched in his cheek and his skin began to pale.  
" That's not the end of it Donkey Boy , we need to get a hold of the president of the council and fast" he growled pointing at the casket.  
" I hardly see what's so important about a piece of mud man scrap metal" Foaly smirked.  
" Yeah ,shouldn't we be thinking of Tara?" Trouble winced as the healing gel began to work.  
"That piece of metal was the reason why Tara was built in the first place!" Commander Root growled and Foaly blinked.  
"You don't seriously expect us to believe that do you?" Foaly asked raising a bushy eye brow.  
"Its dangerous , that's all I can say and if you weren't such a pompous jack ass Foaly you'd know why" Root said snidely marching out of Foaly's office.  
" Well , because I happen to unfortunately be a " pompous jack ass" maybe you should enlighten me" Foaly yelled sarcastically and Root looked briefly over his shoulder.  
"Read up on your fairy tales Donkey boy , they can teach you more then you think" Root replied before disappearing.  
  
***  
Farmer McGraney stared at the two children in front of him early the next morning. They were both virtually unconscious. Amy's hair was practically dipping in her cereal and Seamus was snoozing on a place mat.  
" So , are you two prepared for your exam?" He asked and Amy blinked exhausted.  
" Oh yeah , hamlet , ghosts and daggers" she said yawning with exhaustion and her father grinned.  
" Well that's a good thing lass , because today happens to be Saturday" her father said sourly and Amy sat upright.  
" Is it?" She asked generally shocked and her father nodded.  
" You were lying about that exam , you deliberately lied to your parents when they were far to busy dealing with other problems" her father said pointing a piece of egg on a fork at her accusingly.  
" You say that like its a bad thing" Amy said weekly and her father frowned.  
" You were in the cow shed alone with a boy , your getting to the age where you cant do that sort of thing any more" her father said blushing a deep pockmarked red.  
"Are you talking about sex daddy?" Amy asked kindly and her father snorted up a piece of egg.  
" Go talk to your mother!" He cried.  
" But daddy!" Amy protested.  
" Now!" Her father barked causing Seamus to wake up with a start.  
"And you , you peeving tom get out of my sight!" He growled and terrified Seamus attempted to hide under the table.  
  
"Dads gone mad" Amy said to her mother outside next to the vegetable patch. Her mother continued to pin a series of wet towels onto the close line ad bunch of pegs pressed firmly into her mouth.  
"Wphhm vophr" her mother began her syllables completely incomprehensible due to the plastic in her mouth. Her mother spat the pegs out onto the grass and turned to her daughter.  
" With your grandmother around its hardly surprising" her mother snarled gesturing to the old woman who was snoozing on a lawn chair in the early morning sun.  
" She's not that bad mum , I mean its not like she's forgetting what year it is or baking cats in an oven" Amy pointed out feeling defensive. Ever since her encounter with the second fairy she had been feeling oddly defensive towards the old woman. After all for once her granny had been right.  
" She's as mad at they come Amy luv , the sooner your father puts her in an old folks home the better" her mother said vindictively pinning a brassiere which resembled two white sauce pans onto the washing line.  
" Mum !" Amy protested and her mother rolled her eyes.  
" All right I suppose I shouldn't complain to you dear one , now tell me why has your father gone mad?" Her mother asked.  
" He thinks that I'm shagging Seamus in the cow shed" Amy said casually and her mother shrieked with shock.  
" Amy! I don't even want to know how a little girl like you knows about such things!" Her mother cried scandalized.  
" I'm not a little girl , I'm thirteen.. Besides they talk about it all the time on east enders" Amy pointed out her mother grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and shook her.  
" Now listen Amy , you far to young to be thinking about that sort of nonsense" she said firmly and reluctantly Amy shook her head.  
" God mum its not like I care , the whole thing sounds boring to me" Amy replied and her mother sighed with relief.  
" Good , glad to see your not interested" she replied turning back to the washing and Amy sighed , great now she was interested.  
" Is that a Bentley I see down the road?" Her mother suddenly asked cupping her eyes against the suns glare. Amy looked up wildly and saw an all to familiar car purr in the distant. It disappeared briefly amongst the sycamore trees and Amy squealed with terror.  
" Mum , if any one asks for me I've moved to Canada" she cried running back inside.  
" What on earth are yer on about you daft besom?" Her mother asked tiredly shaking her head.  
  
Amy and Seamus were hidden behind Amy's lace curtains observing the scene before them. The massive white tent was a buzz with activity except now it was reinforced with several watch men and a few electricians fitting alarms onto the premises.  
" Looks like they found out about our adventure last night Amy" Seamus pointed out and Amy shushed him. She watched as the Bentley finally reached the end of the road , it turned and it drove towards the tent before stopping.  
" That's him! That's his car!" Amy squealed hysterically gripping onto the window frame.  
" Who? Justin Timberlake?" Seamus asked sourly.  
" No! Artemis Fowl" Amy breathed dreamily her pale skin flushing red.  
" Your pathetic Amy" Seamus snarled.  
"Uh huh" Amy muttered distracted her eyes still on the figure stepping out of the black Bentley.  
" I mean , its not like his famous or anything.. In fact his just a stupid nerd who.." Seamus began but he gave up when he realized Amy wasn't listening. Much to her horror the bent figure of Artemis Fowl was approaching the farm house in a series of determined strides. That body guard of his , or was it his guardian? Was flanked by his side protectively. There was the sound of a door bell , and Amy shrieked with terror pulling the curtains around her chubby frame.  
" His here!" She hissed to Seamus who rolled his eyes.  
" Calm down , he probably doesn't even know you exist" Seamus pointed out rationally and Amy shook her head.  
" He does Seamus! He gave me that bike remember?" She protested and Seamus sighed heavily.  
" Look that doesn't mean anything Amy , his probably just here to talk to your parents about the tent he put up" Seamus pointed out and Amy bit onto her lip out of habit. There was the distant murmur of voices , Amy untangled herself from the curtains and walked hesitantly towards the bedroom door. Slowly she opened it a cracked and peered down the hall way into the kitchen.  
  
Artemis reluctantly sat down on the seat they had offered him and sipped hesitantly on the earl gray tea which had been placed before him.  
" I've been told your the one organizing this chemical testing" John McGraney asked scarcely able to believe it.  
" Yes" Artemis replied crisply.  
" But your nothing more then a child!" Mrs. McGraney cried , Artemis shot her a cool look and she shut her mouth.  
" Do not let my age fool you Mr. McGraney , I am what you refer to as a child protégé" Artemis explained and Mr. McGraney smiled.  
" you mean like those ones on TV?" He asked.  
" Exactly" Artemis finished and Mr. McGraney shrugged his shoulders , Butler glared at them both disapprovingly.  
" Please Mr. Fowl , we were not trying to insult you we are just concerned" Mrs. McGraney said.  
" Yes , deeply concerned" John added his mouth filled with dry biscuits.  
" Mr. and Mrs. McGraney , there is nothing to be concerned about, the government is merely testing the land in the area for toxic waste waist deposits" Artemis calmly finished , he looked up feeling slightly unnerved. Some how he knew some one had just been watching him. He turned his head towards the hall way and saw a head disappear through a door frame.  
" hmm" he muttered clearing his throat thoughtfully.  
" One of your men said something about us being kicked off our land , well I'm telling Mr. Fowl we are not moving away from this farm , my family's owned it for centuries" Mr. McGraney growled and Artemis Fowl cleared his throat.  
" Well , actually" he began and he smartly opened a briefcase pulling out a sheaf of paper.  
" Whether you live on this land or not , is unfortunately not your decision. This estate was leased to the McGraney family in the year 1433 for a sack of dried barley to be delivered to the Aine village town hall every year. Technically speaking the Aine shire community council still owns this property" Artemis began.  
" With a bit of gentle persuasion I am sure they'll feel the sudden need to comply to our demands" Artemis said arrogantly.  
" You little prat" John growled his fist clenching together.  
" How dare you come in here and threaten my family you ignorant Nancy boy!" He growled but suddenly he felt the heavy weight of Butlers banana shaped fingers on his shoulder.  
" I suggest you refrain from using your colorful language Mr. McGraney , well at least in the presence of my man servant Butler" Artemis stated.  
"We are not moving" John muttered and a muscle twitched in Artemis's cheek.  
" If you insist Mr. McGraney , however if you family does decide to remain in this dwelling I require that you all give my association full cooperation we do not want any repeats of last night" Artemis replied a little to hotly and John McGraney frowned.  
" Last night? He asked and Artemis took another sip of weak tea.  
" Your youngest daughter I believe , took it apon herself to break into my research facilities and cause general mischief" he said and Farmer McGraney spat out a mouthful of biscuits onto the kitchen table.  
" AMY GET IN HERE , YOU WEE DAFT FOOL!" He managed to scream in one breath his jugular veins visible on his bright red neck.  
" Daddy no!" Amy's weak voice protested and Artemis flinched slightly. Now that he had time to think about it Artemis had never really been exposed to girls of his own age , Juliet was always around but she was a lot older. Amy's voice was whiny like a song birds , however it was also on the verge of breaking into a slightly deeper falsetto.  
" NOW YER STUPID LASS!" Her father barked once again , and reluctantly a door in the hall way was open. A head peered out nervously , then slowly Amy stepped out her hands shaking slightly. Artemis looked up vaguely curious and he studied her briefly with disinterest like a art critic studying a inferior vangogh print. She was nervous , he could tell that much by her body language. Her shoulders were hunched over slightly , her short brown hair falling in front of her face. Amy McGraney was frightfully ordinary Artemis soon realized , a tribute to the mundane. Dressed in a pair of slightly to big jeans , and an obnoxious hooded red jumper she seemed to resemble the embodiment of the typical teenage girl stereotype. She looked up briefly , frightened , Artemis noticed and her face still possessed a certain childish roundness she had yet to loose. However Artemis was willing to admit , she had nice eyes they met his briefly and he realized they were a mixture of hazel and blue.. Ordinary eyes , however in there own way quite pretty. There was also a look , one he couldn't place for he had never seen it directed towards him before. The look was that of devotion and fear .  
"I'm sorry that I broke into your tent Mr. Fowl" she muttered tucking a loose strand of brown hair behind one ear. Butlers facial expression barely shifted however , his eyes did fall on his young charges face. Artemis , he noticed was staring at the girl his expression was not affection , nor was it admiring the young girl in question. Rather it was a look of perplexity , and curiosity . With his eyes ever so slightly narrowed with concentration , and the corner of his pale lip slightly upturned Artemis was studying Amy McGraney like a scientist who was peering at a rare , if rather dull endangered species. It was then that Butler remembered Artemis had little , if any contact with young ladies of his own age. Butlers eyes dimmed as they took in Amy McGraney's form , in the wrong hands she could be dangerous.  
" Sorry does not change the past Miss McGraney , nor does it explain why you did it" Artemis said crisply. Amy moved her weight from one foot to the other sheepishly her eyes firmly planted on a spot on the table.  
" I just did'nt think OK ? I didn't mean to cause all this trouble!" Amy retorted her eyes temporarily meeting Artemis's defiantly.  
" You did'nt think?" Artemis asked genuinely astonished.  
" Yes" Amy muttered doubtfully her eyes falling on the floor once again.  
" You mean to tell me Miss McGraney , that you not once considered the consequences of your actions ? That you did not carefully plan your movements considering all possible outcomes?" Artemis asked and Amy shook her head nervously.  
"No , I just did it" Amy muttered and Artemis's black brows shot up ever so slightly. It was obvious that for once he was shocked. He coughed slightly with annoyance and placed his tea cup onto the table.  
" Obviously I over estimated you Miss McGraney , since this prooved to be nothing more then a childish prank I will not be pressing charges" Artemis said sourly standing up.  
"Thank you for your time Mr. and Mrs. McGraney , my solicitor will be speaking to you at a later time concerning my research facilities" he said formally and Mrs. McGraney began to sit up hesitantly.  
" No , don't get up I'll see myself out" he replied and he nodded at Butler. Amy couldn't move , she couldn't even blink , the only thought screaming through her head was that for once second , he Artemis Fowl , the object of her infatuation had acknowledged that she existed. She felt the brush of fabric against her jumper and the feeling of warm air close to her cheek.  
" You disappointed me" a voice muttered , Amy wasn't sure if she was supposed to be hearing it or if he was just talking to herself. Still she couldn't move , her body was far to busy fighting emotions of guilt , embarrassment and shock. Unable to choose what she was supposed to feel her body had decided to shut down completely. Her back stiffened when she heard the sound of the door closing and finally she allowed herself to blink , her emotions slowly dying away. Her parents were staring at her curiously.  
"Well dear one , what was that all about?" Her mother asked curiously.  
  
" That went well" Butler mused his hands itching.  
" Disappointed that you did'nt get to hit any one?" Artemis asked and Butler shrugged.  
" Perhaps , but only a little.. Its been a while since I've had any action" Butler replied with another shrug and Artemis shook his head momentarily.  
"You shouldn't let what that child did get to you Artemis" Butler pointed out.  
" It wasn't that , Butler.." Artemis began hesitantly and he stopped him self.  
" Yes?" Butler asked and Artemis allowed a small sigh to leave his lips.  
" Have you ever thought that perhaps , you crave the thrill of excitement so much you cannot allow your mind to return to normalcy. That you begin to see possible avenues for enrichment every where?" Artemis replied and Butler knew where Artemis was going.  
" Your disappointed because the young lady we encountered was nothing more then a childish vandal , not part of some sort of conspiracy aren't you?" Butler asked gently.  
"I was expecting more of her Butler , she disappointed me" Artemis replied hesitantly and Butler nodded.  
" Artemis , when you reach my age and are still alive and breathing you tend to appreciate normalcy after all it soon becomes a rare thing. Appreciate this quiet time while you still have it , who knows how long it will last?" Butler stated and Artemis once again felt reassuring warmth calm him. Butler knew him better more then any one else he had yet encountered. It was a relief to know this hadn't changed after the arctic incident. They remained quite for a few moments , observing the activity at the hillock.  
"Butler?" Artemis suddenly asked .  
" Yes Artemis?" Butler asked.  
  
  
  
"I'm starting to wonder , if maybe I made the wrong decisions" he said almost sadly , Butler knew not to say anything for Artemis did not want to hear an answer.  
  
The earth moved , in clumps the size of apples.   
"There's something down there" DR Julia Petersgrove pushed her assistant aside furiously tucking a strand of ginger hair behind one ear.  
" Of course there's something down there , that's the whole point of the exhibition" she snarled dusting the loose soil away with a small fine brush. The dirt continued to move , and it revealed cold metal.  
" Iron" she whispered touching the surface.  
" This dates back to the early iron age if I'm any judge" she whispered and the soil moved away revealing that the piece of Iron was part of a casket. There were a series of barely intelligible symbols engraved on the boxes side , the casket was also cracked open slightly.  
" These symbols look like a combination of Aztec pictograms and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics" she said uneasily her brush spraying loose dirt onto her jodhpurs.  
"If I did'nt know any better , I would swear that this was a coffin or a burial shrine of some sort" she laughed uneasily shaking her head.  
Her assistant however remained unusually quite , he stared at her with eyes that reflected the iron casket. He continued to stair at her with his hands beginning to flinch with a life of their own. Slowly , his fingers clumsily moved towards her neck touching against her skin.  
' Frank , what do you think your doing?" She said half laughing , however her laughter was soon replaced with uneasy silence as she stared up at his eyes seeing her own reflection. His grip tightened until it blocked her windpipe. DR Julia Petersgrove fear was reflected in her iris's . The murder lacked any grace or elegance , she gave one last cry , more like an in rush of air before her neck was whipped to one side . Her eyes opened once more , and they reflected nothing except for a wisp of smoke. It resembled , if vaguely a man. 


	8. Author Notes

a/n  
  
My hard drive was completally destroyed by a virus about five days ago which means  
Chapter eight of career day was completally deleted. I should have it re written in a few days.  
The next chapter will feature high jinxs , Santa Claus and plenty of Foaly goodness.  
I'm sorry about the wait guys but I promiss the next chapter will make it well worth it. 


	9. You better watch out

Career Day  
  
  
A/N Finally this chapter is out , and I'm not very proud of it but I had to get it written sooner or   
later. In this incident it was defentially later. Any way I detest this chapter , but its importent   
for later things to come.A few people have been asking me to put certain things in this story   
Or give certain charectors more prominence. I cant do that if it messes up with the plot I've  
already sketched out.  
  
Crazy one: Holly will appear in the chapter , and she will have a few more moments later on in  
this story. However this was written for the BFW challenge which means she dos'nt have a very big  
role if you catch my drift.  
  
Ali Kelp: Thank you for your review. I based trouble's looks on Legalos from Lord of the rings  
which is why he has " long girly hair". I'm sorry if Trouble was'nt cool enough for you , I try'  
to make my charectors human which is why I made him look a bit daft.  
  
Arqueete: Thank you so much for that kind review! it's nice to know that my story has managed to hold  
your interest and I'm very flattered.  
  
Mage Kitty: Dum dum dum.... is certanley right!  
  
Alexis: I'm pretty sure that this chapter won't top the last one which is rather unfortunate.  
I'm really glad you liked the last " seriously weird" chapter. This ones a lot more slow , and allows  
you all to catch a quick breather.  
  
  
Chapter eight  
  
  
  
You better watch out  
  
There was an old song about him , it began with "you better watch out"  
He came from a time where Fairies had little or no humanity , a time where the world was filled with blood and bone rather then distant slow wars spoken of in discreet voices on the television.  
He came from much more passionate , interesting times when the fairies were constantly at war with humanity.  
The mud men had many names for him " the father" " Oberon" and finally " Sanda Claus" . If you were a good little boy or girl , you would soon be rewarded however if you were naughty you blood would stain the newly fallen white snow crimson.  
Oh yes , he was a brutal fairy king.  
But history and fairy tales refuse to remember such things , they dimmed the story and shaped it. They replaced the blood and bone with bags of coal , they replaced the death with gifts. They pulled out the bleakness of winter attempting to instill festive joy into the season. The centuries rolled by , one after the other and San D Klaus soon became Santa Claus a mere shadow of what he once was.  
It is believed that gods have to constantly change in order to survive , he was definitely one of them.  
  
Faint tinny Christmas bells played jingle bells over and over again in the shopping centres harsh fluorescent lights. Two half hearted teenagers leaned against a set of plastic candy canes dress in green t shirts and red shorts with bored expressions on there faces. The resident Santa Claus sighed with a mixture of disappointment and fury. When did everything go so horribly wrong? He thought to himself.  
"Hello Santa , bit early for you isn't it? Its not even the winter solace yet" a voice snickered and jolly old saint Nick looked up from his position tired. If possible , his skin had a slightly green tinge to it.  
" Actually they call it "Winter" now and you know those mud people there always attempting to exploit every penny from religious festivals and holidays" Santa said cynically , then suddenly as if he just realized what he said he clapped a hand over his mouth with horror. A figure stood in front of him , tall and rather thin dressed in a stained work mans shirt and what were once expensive trousers. It was a mud man , San realized with horror backing slowly up in his chair. The mud man slowly approached him , drunken as if he was having difficulty controlling his legs. San noticed several darks red brown stains on his finger nails and realized it was dry blood. The mud man faced him , and Santa was confronted by a face. A kind hearted , almost normal face , the face of a father , of a husband of a good person. However no fairy magic can hide the true nature of ones eyes , and a good fairy a powerfully fairy can always gaze into the others pupils and see their true nature. San recoiled with horror as he saw the hidden nature of those pupils. They were conflicting , two identities constantly fighting with each other , crashing together forming new power. The person in front of him was insane , clearly and indefinitely. San D Klaus had only ever seen such eyes once before many moons ago.  
" You" he hissed barely able to believe it.  
" Yes me" the magician laughed coldly.  
"But your dead , the LEP killed you nearly a millennia ago!" San D Klaus cried and the magician smirked it looked horrific on his other wise gently features.  
" My my how does the time fly by when your a corpse" he mused then suddenly his head snapped towards Santa and a hand shot out gripping the jolly fat man by the front of his dusky red cloak.  
" Do you have any idea what they did to me? They put me in a casket which blinded me , even with my body gone it blinded my soul! I could not see I could not breathe!" He howled spit forming at his mouth. Suddenly his eyes calmed , and he let go of the cloak.  
"No matter , they cannot keep me away from my mission forever I killed one for power and its only a matter of time before I'll kill another" he chuckled his eyes darting upwards.  
" Mothers not here is she?" He finally asked a little sadly.  
" No ones seen her for centuries , many assume she's dead" Santa Claus said sympathetically. The magician was obviously as mad as a hatter , but he did feel sorry for the poor boy it was always hard loosing a loved one.  
" And you? I find you here in an ant hill crawling with mud men?" He growled baring his slightly caffeine stained teeth.  
" Actually its a shopping mall , around a century ago I made the mistake of drinking something a little mud girl left me in her house. This was while I was doing my annual gift thing of course. Turned out it wasn't cold tea like I originally thought.. It was brandy .So now of course I cant associate with the people ever again but its not such a bad life this Santa gig pays off when it comes to royalties and you get used to mud children crawling all over you eventually" The magician stared at him with honest confusion.  
" I am currently scanning this bodies memory banks attempting to discover what your speaking of" he said dully his eyes glazing over.  
"Well that must be a useful tool" Santa remarked hesitantly and the creature flinched his face contorting into an expression of pain.  
" Memories say here , that you are apparently a man of over weight appearance who rides several domesticated live stock of reindeer around the world in order to spoil greedy mud children with gifts , although really their parents buy these gifts and you do nothing" he said in a dead pan voice.  
" I'm more of a figure head really , I got out of the gift giving thing a long time ago" San laughed uneasily.  
" I see" The magician stated coldly.  
" Great English by the way" Santa commented.  
" This bodies tongue seems to remember it , it refuses to let me speak in gnomish" he replied coldly turning his head.  
" Come with me San D Klaus , I need your expertise in order to begin inflicting my destiny once more" he said coldly.  
" Look I'd love to but I've got a lot of work to do involving handing out Lolly Pops to screaming Toddlers" the jolly fat man said weakly , he was terrified.  
" You assume that you have a choice , one thousand years ago you bind your powers towards mine" the magician reminded him.  
" Things were different then , I was a different elf! I cant follow you now" he protested pathetically and the magician smirked. Slowly he reached towards San D Claus's head and wrenched his skull back wards.  
" Your will is.." He began.  
" You cant do that! That's breaking the rules of the book!" San D Klaus protested weakly.  
" What can I say? You should never ever be surprised with the things I can do" he said forcing San D Klaus's yellowish eyes open.  
'Now , your will is mine" his voice chuckled dribbling with the honey rich deadly mesmer.  
  
****  
"Foaly you do realize there are only two things more conspicuous then a Centaur in the middle of a night club wearing a tin foil hat" Holly remarked sipping on her nettle shake an amused expression on her face. Holly Short was currently on a well deserved vacation , Commander Root had practically forced her to go on one via gun point.  
"And those are?" Foaly asked distracted his tail flicking from side to side.  
"A centaur in a club whose wearing a tin foil hat reading what appears to be a book of fairy tales , while ignoring his drink" Holly said sarcastically pushing his Holy Goblin cocktail forward.  
" I thought I told you to get me a double Opal" he said sourly.  
" I cant believe they named a drink after that psychotic elf wench" Holly spat and Foaly shrugged his shoulder.  
" Remember there's nothing more famous then being infamous" Foaly reminded her.  
" Which is why they've named the chicken wings Artermis Fowl wings" Holly remarked sourly.  
"Speaking of your boy Arty , his the reason why I'm, stuck reading these fairy tales in the first place" Foaly remarked absently sipping his Holy Goblin cocktail.  
" His not my " boy" Foaly" Holly remarked but it was obvious from the tone of her voice that they had had this conversation many times before.  
" Come on its totally obvious that the mud boys has one of those oh so adorable crushes on you" Foaly said with a wicked grin.  
" Do you have a sadistic need for pain?" Holly asked sweetly and Foaly made a faint neighing noise under his breath.  
" You know that Foaly likes it rough" he growled and Holly rolled his eyes , Foaly flirting was rather nauseating to say the very least.  
"And you know that Holly hates it when Fowl speaks in third person" Holly remarked carefully moving Foaly's drink away. It was obvious that a Holy Goblin was a bit to strong for his taste.  
"So any way like I was saying , turns out boy Arty has gotten the LEP in trouble again" Foaly said and Holly rolled her eyes.  
"We really should just memory wipe the mud man" Holly said tiredly a small groan escaping her lips.  
" His trying to find Tara" Foaly said conversationally and Holly choked on her nettle shake.  
" Relax , with all the security I've rigged it'll be hard to find then a goblin with a college degree" Foaly reassured her dryly.  
" You used that same line when you fitted the LEP's security systems and well all know what Opal did to them" Holly reminded him. Foaly's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared.  
' I thought I told you to never mention that stink worms name in my presene" he growled and Holly backed away slightly.  
" Calm down donkey boy , I'm just trying to warn you against being cocky Artemis Fowl has already made us look like a bunch of Goblins twice before and his not going to do it again" Holly said firmly and Foaly held up his hands defensively.  
" Hey I didn't go clubbing with you in order to hear you ranting on about that so called child genius" Foaly reminded her.  
" Then why did you come?" Holly asked sweetly and if possible Foaly's cheeks stained ever so slightly crimson.  
" Ehem , so any way Root is chucking a huge stink about the mud kids excavation and next thing I know his blathering on about fairy tales and metal caskets" Foaly said tapping the cheap children's book with his knuckles.  
" Which is why I'm trying to make sense of this ridicules thing" he finished triumphantly changing the subject.  
"All right you explained the whole fairy tale thing to me Donkey Boy , but you still haven't answered my question" Holly said wickedly and Foaly stood up abruptly causing there tiny chair to topple over.  
" Say , is any one else up for some double opals?" He asked a little to cheerfully and Holly shook her head.  
" ER Holly I have to , re check my fibre optic networking" he finally managed to stutter practically falling out of his chair. Holly had to stop her self from snickering as the centaur pushed pass several break dancing dwarves in his haste to reach the exit. She turned to the book he had left behind and sighed thoughtfully under her breath. Flipping over one page her eyes caught a single word which transformed into a sentence.  
" Once a apon a time ago there was a magician" she read , but was suddenly interrupted.  
" Hey if it ain't the captain Short herself! Wanna dance?" An obnoxious voice asked. Holly looked up and immediately flushed with guilt , it was Chix fresh from the hospital with a bandaged wing. As much as holly wanted to say no she knew she was partially responsible for his injury and she couldn't very well turn the poor sprite down.  
"Once dance , no bodily contact and you are definitely not allowed top attempt to stick your tongue down my throat" Holly said sternly .  
"All right , deal" Chix replied reluctantly and Holly sighed abandoning the book on the table. A single page fluttered due to the air conditioning and revealed a picture , a badly done painting of a metal casket.  
  
It began with the little things. Absent coffee cups , missed appointments and piled up paper work. Julia Peters grove had been flown in from Cambodia where she had been recently excavating a series of temples located in the harsh humid jungles. No one noticed that she was missing at first , Julia Peters grove had no friends , or family in Ireland. Her parents lived in America and her husband was currently in Italy. Julia Peters grove was completely alone. Eventually however some one noticed , days passed and there was no appearance of the absent minded doctor. Her assistant was also strangely absent.   
  
Eventually however some one noticed.  
"Artemis?" Butler asked , Artemis remained silent he was crouched next to his fathers bed an almost hungry expression on his face. His father was asleep , the medication he was forced to take due to his lost limb caused him to remain drowsy and ill. He had woken up occasionally and smiled weakly at his son and wife before dozing off once more into a fitful slumber.  
" You can barely notice it at first , the way his breath comes in and out from a distance he appears to be dead" Artemis said distantly his hand lightly touching his fathers wrist.  
" Well his alive now isn't he?" Butler reminded him with false cheerfulness.  
" I remember when I was smaller , I used to sit underneath his desk taking apart old calculator. I've been thinking of that desk as being mine for nearly three years" Artemis muttered a confused expression on his face.  
" Nothings mine any more is it Butler?" He asked and Butler gave him a puzzled glance.  
" What I mean to say is that I excepted he was gone , and now that his back and like this " Artemis began then immediately flushed a guilty expression on his face.  
" Your wondering if he would have been better off dead?" Butler asked and Artemis looked up sharply.  
" father hated.. Hates being helpless" Artemis corrected himself.  
"I'm not sure if he can cope once he recovers" Artemis said quietly. He let go of his fathers wrist and slowly stood up.  
"Artemis I have received an urgent message from the McGraney estate Doctor Peters grove has disappeared" Butler managed to say gruffly.  
"Any information? He asked Butler nodded.  
" The surveillance camera illustrated the doctor entering the shaft with her assistant two days ago. The tape showed her leave , however there was a one second pause. Some one had obviously been tampering with it" Butler said and Artemis nodded.  
" Most likely the LEP has finally caught wind of what we've been doing , we must proceed immediately" Artemis said standing up.  
"If the LEP decides to perform the mesmer on her she's liable to sing all our secrets like an obnoxious song bird" Artemis added thoughtfully leaving the room. His father sighed once in his sleep and Artemis gave him a last reluctant parting glance.  
" We can reach the McGraney estate by twilight" Butler said and Artemis nodded.  
"Yes there's a difference between what is personal and what happens to be important" Artemis said slamming the door behind him.  
  
****  
  
As night fell , filling the farms sky was a dusky rose pink glow Amy sat on her family's front porch with her grandmother. Granny McGraney was setting up a small brass telescope on the front porch. Much to Mrs McGraney's disappointment Granny McGraney was still staying on the estate.  
" Tonight is going to be a clear one lass , which means we'll have ample opportunity to study Jupiter's effects on Sagittarius" Granny said briskly rubbing her hands together.  
" I cant believe you take this bunk so seriously" Amy said scornfully sitting on a wicker lawn chair.  
"Don't disrespect the stars dear one they've been around a hell of a lot longer then you" her grand mother said opening her note book to a fresh page.  
" Granny there balls of burning gas , they can't think and even if they could its not like there going to tell us anything useful" Amy pointed out.  
" Useful eh? You want to hear something useful? What's the star sign of your young man?" Her grandmother asked snidely.  
" His a Capricorn" Amy said without thinking and she flushed deeply.  
" Artemis Fowl is not my young man" she said defiantly.  
" Capricorn eh , oh that's not good his not very compatible with you" her grandmother tutted and sighed. Amy was a Virgo.  
" I don't want to be compatible with any one" Amy replied shaking her hands with frustration.  
" I saw the way you looked at that so called child prodigy" he grandmother said and Amy gave her a startled look. The events which had unfolded in her kitchen had acquired days ago but she was still sure without a doubt that her grandmother had not been present.  
" How did you know that?" Amy asked curiously.  
" Wee one , go into the kitchen and leave out a saucer of milk in case those buggers try to interrupt us. Although they haven't been around for a few days , something's scaring them off" her grandmother said thoughtfully her eyes glazing over.  
" Well if there around we better save the milk for emergencies" Amy said kindly and her eyes fell on the road thoughtfully. Amy swung the telescope towards the direction of the road and peered through it slightly amused. She could see a black shape , barely distinguishable moving through the shadowy tree's.  
"Shit" she muttered.  
" No swearing" Her grandmother scolded her absent mildly.  
" His back , I thought he was gone for good" Amy muttered sinking into her chair. Waves of embarrassment washed over her and she felt her face burn with shame. She could not face him , yet she partly wanted to run towards the Bentley and fling the doors open.  
" Calm down wee one , things aren't always as bad as we make them out to be" her grandmother said attempting to calm Amy down.  
" His here" Amy gasped as the Bentley became visible. The doors opened , and she could see Butler climbing out.  
" His here for a reason" she finished firmly a tremor of fear in her voice. 


End file.
